The Bloodstone
by Fearlessed
Summary: Maybe she won't live to see the sunrise, but she has to try. She's out to take control, but little does she know, she has a predetermined task much steeper than she could imagine. Will she make it? Will Zack and Tifa be able to help her when the time comes? OCxZack, CloTi. Action/Adventure/Romance – a little of everything!
1. Loved And Lost

**The Bloodstone**

**Summary:** Maybe she won't live to see the sunrise, but she has to try. She's out to take control, but little does she know, she has a predetermined task much steeper than she could imagine. Will she make it? Will Zack and Tifa be able to help her when the time comes? OCxZack, CloTi. Action/Adventure/Romance – a little of everything!

**A/N: Hiya! How are you today, reader? Welcome to the tale of The Bloodstone :D Firstly I must warn you, it doesn't work canonically—what? Don't give me that look! In order for Zack to be, well, **_**alive**_**, I had to change a few things! However, you might start to recognise things that **_**do**_** work later on in the story…like, much later. Like, the **_**end**_** later, but whatever! It's like the story begins before Final Fantasy VII, but Crisis Core kinda didn't happen…? I can't explain it, so you'll just hafta read it! Secondly, you won't see a canon character until the end of chapter three, but that's not too far away. Another thing, (Geez, stop talking already!) is that, well, I'm from the UK and I use UK English spellings with US English words, so, for example I might say 'soccer' instead of 'football' because while my English readers would be able to tell what soccer is, my American readers might automatically think of American Football, understandably. So I apologise for any confusion!**

**Chapter 1 Update: **30th May '13. I've come back after writing chapter 15 to try and improve everything! I'm sorry for changing it now but I think it's important to come back and improve instead of leaving it as it was, so there we go. It hasn't changed too dramatically, mind.

**Anyhow, I'll stop babbling on now and let you get down to the read! All I can say is I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it (which was a lot!) – Fearlessed x**

**Disclaimer: **I do not and never will own the wonderful characters and world of Final Fantasy VII. The only things I own are my OCs and ideas of hell I put them through.

Rated **T** for mild language, fight scenes, and some _lightly_ discussed sensitive topics.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Loved And Lost**

**February 8th**

"Damn it all to hell..." A girl whispered, almost inaudibly, "Why...? Why did you have to leave me?"

She slid to her knees, splatting into the sodden mud and puddles beneath her. She pierced the ground with fastidiously shaped nails, scratching for something to support her shaking frame. Her face lay motionlessly, blank, but the dejectedness rose from behind her eyes. Orange eyes. _Orange_, could you believe? An orange like a fall-time leaf, surrounded by angry, swollen flesh, brought about by her rubbing, begging them not to give. They did.

"Everything would be okay if you were here, Mom, but…you're not coming back…"

She tugged a hand from the earth and wiped it dry on her shirt before touching a headstone. Her fingertips traced the indentations in the granite childishly, over the words that spelt: "Lillian Amaya-Lenna."

"Goddess, I feel so stupid…"

You see, this girl had not allowed herself to grieve properly over her mother's death. She thought that would be like showing weakness in a time she needed to be stronger than ever. Not for herself though. Strong for another. Her expectations were rather unrealistic and anyone could've told her that brickwork cracks. But a very long time had passed, since the day of the death, and the girl of eighteen years figured it didn't matter anymore. She didn't know that grievance is not a disease that can be cured, but rather a feeling that may never fade. She saw it as a weakness. A threat. An ailment that should be avoided at all costs. Even if that cost was just to shut up and get on with it, bearing no emotion in regards to loss. But only a matter of months ago, brick cracked and the previously walled demons came about to play.

"How do you talk to a stone…?" She mumbled to no-one in particular. "Can you…hear me? Will you help me? I-I'm failing, Mom…I don't know what to do anymore…"

She sat back on her heels and wiped away a stream of tears, leaving a streak of mud down the hollow of her cheek. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath in through her nose and reached for a bouquet of white flowers that lay next to her. Quietly, she rested them onto her mother's grave.

Before turning away, she took a moment to quietly examine the florets. They stood out from their surroundings as they contrasted with the dark and gloomy sheets that loomed in the sky. The wind was a whisperer and the rain the bringer of grey, lingering in the air unwanted, but the flowers were the crispest of white. Flawless. Almost gentle.

The young woman look up into the clouds, controlling her tears only by restricting their flee, before spinning on her heel to walk away. Little did she know, she would turn to face only her brother, Daniel.

"Oh—" She started half-heartedly, shaking her head. "How long have you been…standing there?"

"…Long enough."

He was careful with what he said, walking on eggshells to try not to say anything that might upset his older sister. He could already see her lower lip trembling, and he knew how she would hate it if he knew, but it was too late and too light to conceal the sorrow that swam in her eyes. And so, as she bit that offending lip and lowered her head to hide it, he pretended he hadn't noticed.

"…It's okay, you know."

_It's not okay! _She thought.

Rain plummeted and splashed into puddles. Cars on the street not too far away disturbed the water on the road. Crashing and settling. Crashing and settling. Winds and breezes battered what came in front of them, swaying trees and rippling water, crying its whispers and whipping at the sibling's faces. And yet, despite all this, movement in the graveyard appeared minimal. It was quiet and still—very clearly a place of rest.

And such a silence was broken by Daniel's voice. "Listen…"

The girl only raised her head slightly as her brother touched her shoulder. She could feel his eyes boring into the top of her head, but she was far too stubborn to look.

"This was beyond your control." He motioned towards their mother's resting place with his free hand. "You know it's not your fault. I know you don't _really_ blame yourself. So don't. Don't be…like that."

"But—"

"Hey, c'mon. Let's just get you home, alright?"

"I…" She started, but she couldn't force the words to come. Instead, she sighed and nodded her head pallidly. She was far too tired, too drained, to disagree with him this time.

She watched her brother wander towards his car, and once she was sure she was out of earshot she turned her head and looked over to the flowers.

"I won't let him…let anyone make me cry."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short; it's the shortest one, I promise! The others get much longer. So, we've met our leading lady, but who is she? What's her name? You'll see! Thanks soo much for reading!**


	2. Chin Up

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: Heya, Readers! Right, so, next chapter we'll meet a familiar face, but for now, we'll learn just a little more about our leading lady—including her name, because, you know. That'd be helpful. Find out a **_**little**_** little bit about her life, but lots of that shall be drip-fed throughout the story! Enjoy! – Fearlessed x **

**Chapter 2 Update:** 1st June '13. I even changed this chapter's _title_ because I just felt it wasn't clear enough. SO I made it more obvious. For a change. Heh-heh.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Final Fantasy VII (which I clearly do not), both Cloud and Zack would be competing for my affections ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 2: Chin Up**

Although the drive home was short, she was sure it had lasted a lifetime. Time had seemed to stop in its tracks and the world appeared to be holding its breath for a shattered girl in a downright fractured life. All she could do was gaze out of the car window, watching the rain assault the pane of glass. But she thought the rain was soothing. It's calm even when it's violent and harmless when it's aggressive. It's predictable, each droplet to the next, which is reassuring. She and her brother both enjoyed listening to it tapping the glass of their bedroom windows, allowing the safe, repetitive sound to lull them to sleep.

Her thoughts of little were soon interrupted by Daniel. "Hey, you okay there?"

She looked up. Strands of hairs stuck to her cheek rebelliously, forcing her to push them behind her ear with more force than was really needed.

_I'm fine. Awesome, like, never better. Soul of the party… _She mentally rambled dryly for at least another thirty seconds.

"…I'll get over it." She claimed fairly unconvincingly.

He decided against prying. "You don't look too good. You should probably, uh, get some rest."

"Yeah, well, something tells me I'm not gonna get much sleep tonight."

His shoulders sank as he looked at her. "Alcie…"

"Don't worry about me," she said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Listen—"

"—But I—"

"—Everything's gonna be fine."

She sighed in mild frustration and knocked her head back into the window. "Yeah. Sure. Fine…"

A dreadful silence returned and took over the two young individuals and their surroundings. The only sounds that could be heard were the quiet humming of the engine, windscreen wipers on glass, and that familiar sound of raindrops battling against whatever was in their way again and again, tirelessly.

And upon nearing the house, Alcie stepped out of the car _before_ Daniel had time to stop the car. _Damn it, Alcie, you gotta be more careful… _he thought to himself as he twisted the key and turned off the engine. He had many fond and, quite possibly even more _not _so fond memories of witnessing his sister's irrational behaviour and impatience. She would just do things without thinking. Like the first time Alcie had met their dad's girlfriend. That was interesting, to say the least.

"_If you want to bring home some dirty slut, at LEAST have the decency to do it when I'm not around!" Alcie screamed, "Oh wait, that's right. You _HAVE_ no decency!"_

"_Man… You make me sick…"_

Alcie wasn't particularly skilled at holding back her temper, or maybe it was just that in some cases, she really didn't want to.

Her temper probably came from her father; someone that she certainly did not like. Daniel didn't like him either. Being just seventeen, he wished in an innocent naivety that, at first glance, his sister lacked, that maybe they were wrong about their father. Maybe he wasn't the man they thought he was after all. Maybe they could live happily again. But such wishful thinking made Alcie uncomfortable. She knew that no matter how much they might wish, nothing could change the past. What happened happened, and some scars are much more than skin-deep.

She knocked on the car window and half-yelled, "You coming?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oh—shi—Goddess, sorry."

She had been stood in the rain, soaking. Typical Kalm Town weather. Nothing she wasn't used to. She forgot her keys, as per usual, and needed her brothers. Hell, she always forgot her keys, picking them up forever slipped her mind.

But after thieving her brother's, she trotted down the lightly sloped drive-way, assuming that running might get her less wet. What? She wasn't really thinking logically. Regardless, she pushed into the house and tossed the keys onto an old-looking lowboy, scratching the polished wooden surface just that little more. She snatched her own keys, fiddling with the fuzzy chocobo keychain, and flung them into her bag that sat on a dark couch.

Such is almost ironic, really. Usually you take your bag and keys out _with_ you when you need them. Not Alcie though, apparently. Daniel bought the chocobo key-ring specifically to remind her to take them with her, but it evidently wasn't working. He tried though, and that mattered. She, on the other hand, wasn't so good at gift-giving. That said, she had saved for a very long time so she could buy his car, though she was disappointed in her effort. It was old, tatty, bright yellow, and all she could afford. Even so, Daniel was endlessly happy with the gift and really treasured it.

Alcie glanced into a large, oval-shaped mirror. The border was intricately carved, and must've been plated with gold some time ago, but the colour had faded and worn away over age. She noted her dark-auburn hair was wet and clinging to the sides of her face, and for lack of a better term, it was pissing her off. A shower seemed like a good idea, and that's what she chose to do. Rid herself of sodden wet clothing and change into something fresher. Wash away her troubles poetically and simply.

But a shower didn't help at all.

Thoughts flooded through her mind. Thoughts that she could not control. She was swallowed by an overwhelming sense of guilt. The kind that tears into your gut and nests and feeds and grows and grows irrepressibly, until its host can no longer take the pain. She remembered the day her mother died. What happened. The _accident_. The car. The speed. The _driver_.

Alcie herself wasn't even in the car at the time. Perhaps that worsened her pain. The fear of the unknown.

"Damn it!" She screamed as she punched the tiled wall in her anger. She strung a few more curse words together before rubbing her fist. "Why?! Why didn't I go with you…? I-I could've…stopped it all!"

So, a shower was a terrible idea. Who knew? She pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt, seeking comfort in anything she could, but as frustration boiled up in her chest, she found such a task nearing impossible. She ran her hands through wet hair and yanked the ends taut, mid-rage, pulling naturally waved hair pin-straight until it reached at least three inches past her collarbones.

_Maybe speaking to Danny'll make me feel better…_

She sighed loudly before snatching a hairbrush from the side and detangling her damp hair, while mindlessly stumbling down the hallway, peering through doors, searching for a certain brunette seventeen-year-old. She pulled a face as she jogged down the stairs, realising her brother wasn't about. She crossed the living room to a window.

She pinched her smoothly arched eyebrows together. _His car's there, so where's he?_

She set the hair brush down on the couch and it was only then that she noticed pains in her right knuckles, from where she had punched the wall, and a bruise forming. A slight graze had befallen and small parts of skin had peeled around the area showing blood, but she dismissed the injury as minor. She left the living room and headed to the kitchen, with a little less bounce in her step. What she saw only darkened her mood.

"Oh, sorry, I—" she began. She thought she walked in on Daniel or a friend of his or something. It wasn't unusual to see one of his friends around. Her voice dropped stone cold when she saw what, or rather, who it actually was. "Oh. Ugh, whatever. Where's Danny? I want to talk to him."

She had actually walked in on her father rummaging through a cupboard.

He chuckled darkly, his tone dripping with sardonicism. "Don't wanna talk to me for a change?"

"Not really, no."

She slid her hand around to her lower back, and her eyes widened infinitesimally.

"What's wrong?" He asked grimly. "Don't have your knife on you?"

She balled her fists, her cheeks puffed out just slightly and reddened, and she looked quite like she might cry. _Damn it!_

"No." She folded her arms. "I don't. But this is a kitchen and I can improvise."

"Alci—"

"—_What_?!" She snapped, losing all traces of her temper.

"Don't speak to m—"

"—Don't _speak_ to you?! I'd be HAPPY to not speak to you! Now if you'll just tell you where my brother is I'll be. On. My. _Way_!"

A somewhat small voice peeped up from behind her. "Um…Cee? Is everything okay?"

"Oh, Danny, thank Goddess…!" She glared at her father, and while her tone became rather sarcastic, the scowl in her eyes did not. "Good day."

Alcie spun on her heel sharply and walked off, front door in mind, with Daniel following closely behind her.

"Cee, what's wrong? You're not gonna do something stupid are you?"

"No… Urgh, I'm just so_ pissed_ _off_!" She fairly screamed, punching a wall as she walked, before grunting in sharp pain when she realised she'd used the same hand as before, leaving blood on the paint.

"I…I know," he soothed. He wasn't so good with words, but he'd always try his hardest to calm her down whenever she got like this, which to be fair, wasn't very often. He felt like he failed most of the time, but he didn't know that Alcie would feel better after just talking to him anyway.

"Look, just…sit down. What's wrong?"

She paused and scanned the room. "Not here."

A nod in response and they continued their conversation in Daniel's room; out of their old man's earshot.

"Talk to me."

"…I-I've been thinking," She began, plopping down in a cream sofa, leaning her head on a hand. "What if…all of this _is_ my fault?"

"What are you talking abou—?"

"—What if I had gone that day? Maybe it wouldn't have happened…"

"But Cee, you were, what?" He made a quick calculation with his fingers. "Seven? Wow… It's been eleven years already?"

She stopped for a moment, her gaze falling to her feet. "Yeah…wow. Eleven years on the eleventh of March."

"…It was _eleven_ years ago now—"

"—That doesn't make it any easier," she told him.

"But…what was a seven-year-old supposed to do in that situation, huh? Seven-year-olds can't drive, you know."

She half chuckled. He was only trying to cheer her up. "I suppose you're right. Again."

"But look, Cee, what if you _couldn't_ stop it, huh? I could've lost you too!" He more or less yelled, pacing back and forth in front of her. "What would I have done without you?!"

Her face fell, and she chewed her bottom lip. She hadn't thought of it that way. She rolled her head back up to look her brother in the eyes; they were emotive, very emotive, showing what looked like…fear? Pain? She couldn't really tell for a change as he sent his stare downward and passed a hand through his messy brown hair.

"I'll tell you what would've happened without you. I would've met you beneath the grave just last year! And that's only if I managed to last ten years alone."

"Don't say that!" She looked up and him and gently touched her chin. No, she touched a scar. She followed the smooth line upwards and into the right of her lower lip. She dug her nails into the palm of her hand.

Daniel's eyes widened boundlessly. "Cee! Calm down, I'm okay, aren't I? _I'm_ _alive_!"

She smashed the side of her fist into her thigh as the memories came flooding back. The sight, the pain, the _fear_.

"I've had enough... Enough with all of _thi_s! I hate feeling like this! This isn't me! It's not who I am!" She exclaimed, making frantic movements with her hands to explain her frustration. "I've gotta get out of here."

"You—you're gonna leave…?"

"I'm sorry, Danny…!"She half-yelled as she tore from his room and into her own, pulling off her jeans.

He took that as a pretty good sign to wait outside her bedroom door. "But…"

"You know this is something I have to do." She struggled into a pair of khaki coloured cargo pants that hugged her skin. "We talked about this!"

"But…why now?!"

She paused momentarily, putting on a long sleeved black shirt, and flicking her hair out from under it. "Because I can't take it anymore!"

Pulling on some brown, knee high boots, Alcie emerged from her room, tugging violently at stubborn leather, "I'm really sorry, Danny. Look, I'll bring my PHS," She mentally scolded herself at how pointless that must've sounded, although Daniel seemed to not notice. "I know it sounds stupid, but call me anytime you need me, _any_time at all, okay?"

She ran off down the stairs again, not waiting for a reply, but remained closely followed. She grabbed for her bag off the couch and pulled out a pair of brown fingerless leather gloves, a Christmas present from Daniel, and checked for her Gil and PHS. Finally, she strapped a belt, with a knife holster, around her thigh and inserted another gift into it, a survival knife.

The boy was lost for words. What could he possibly say? He opened his mouth to say something, but no words would come. He felt his eyes burning and his heart racing. What was happening…?

"B-but, where are you gonna go?" He cried, his 5'10" frame shaking. He stood just a small bit taller than his sister.

She froze. She hadn't quite thought that far ahead. Her eyes darted around quickly, favouring the corners of her vision—avoiding his gaze. Suddenly, she looked him right at him with orange eyes, "_Midgar_."

Midgar. The capital city of Gaia. It served as home for the most technologically advanced company in the entire world, ShinRa. ShinRa Electric Power Company, the world's main source of energy—and political power too. By then, ShinRa ran most countries and towns around Gaia, and was in a long and hard war against Wutai—on the western-most continent. ShinRa held a rather strong army of infantrymen as well as elite warriors known as SOLDIER, and many people dreamt of joining those ranks someday. Midgar often held the dreams of many young people, but it also held the nightmares of those that lived in its slums.

"…Maybe you should leave too, Danny…go and find your feet. You're young, you're talented—can hold your own in a fight, and you're only just seventeen. You know what to look for. Live your life how _you_ want. Learn who you are, and live to tell me the story."

"…I will."

"Remember…keep your chin up—"

"—Eyes forward."

Alcie grabbed her brother and pulled him into the tightest of hugs, tears streaming, struggling to force speech out of her throat without choking on them, "Danny, I love you, I always have and I always will. _Please_…_be_ safe."

"I love you too, Sis… Take care," he whispered to her almost inaudibly, unable to find his voice.

She nodded and kissed his cheek almost desperately before throwing her back on her back and fleeing, leaving Danny and his tear-stained eyes, wondering how he can learn who he is, and live to tell the tale.

_Chin up…_

* * *

**A/N: I'd just like to say that obviously, you must be like, 'what the hell is going on?' seeing as you've been told only snippets about Alcie's mother's death and such, but I promise that all will be revealed! You, as the reader, shall learn more alongside the canon characters. I figured that'd be more interesting than if the narrator just told you everything, but ANYWAY. That said, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
Tifa: ** I baked cookies for reviewers!  
**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Turbulence

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: Hello, mighty readers! Please bear with me here, we'll get to meet someone you recognise soon enough *cough* this chapter *cough*and yes, some of this chapter might appear confusing and untold too, but I will enlighten you…eventually. I promise! It'll all become clear soon. Happy reading! – Fearlessed x**

**Chapter 3 Update:** 1st June '13. I'm really getting through these, aren't I? Anyway, Chapter 3 and 4 were the reason I wanted to revise the story anyway. Forever trying to improve my writing skill, you see.

**Disclaimer**_**: **_I dreamt last night that I had the ownership papers for Final Fantasy VII—it felt so real! But that's as close as I'll ever get, most unfortunately…

* * *

**Chapter 3: Turbulence**

Alcie's eyes continued to flood and burn as she tore down the street, carrying only the contents of her bag and the clothes on her back. It was raining, but she couldn't feel it on her skin; the low temperature seemed to have numbed her face. She was shivering and yet she could not feel the cold. She kept her pace, but didn't know where she was going. She just kept one destination in mind—_Midgar_. She'd get there somehow. Maybe.

Evidently she hadn't quite thought her plan through, or possibly, she hadn't thought of what she was going to do at _all_. The latter was much more likely. All she knew was that she was leaving, and she wasn't planning on coming back anytime soon…if ever.

Never sounded pretty good right about now.

Tearing down street after street, she lost track of where she was. She could've walked but she was running on auto-pilot, and whatever control system was planning her moves, it wanted her to flee. Flee, as though Kalm Town were some kind of enemy. She found herself running into the outskirts, where she'd never really bothered to explore. You see, not many people lived so far out; the houses had been built after some kind of _tragedy_ many, many years ago. No one knew much about it.

The eighteen-year-old struggled to catch her breath between strides but she would continue on as if possessed by something. She only halted after checking the time on her PHS.

"18:45…oh, man…"

She took a moment to attempt to gather her surroundings, her chest mimicking the pits and lands of a hill range as her lungs struggled to keep up with her. Over her shoulder, the dividing wall between Kalm and, well, wherever she was now, stood tall. She shook her head.

"No going back now."

The skies darkened as though black ink slowly began its spread with twisted, veiny tendrils, clutching onto clouds and sinking away with them. The rain didn't help any to lighten the heavens. Instead, it fell like folklore; stones, arrowheads, and axes of water bashing and slapping whatever may get in its way. Winds blew droplets off the straight and narrow, smashing them into what stood before them, forcing Alcie to squint when it was her. She stood under a dim street light, watching the bulb flickering tiresomely, its dull burn touching a youthful, albeit saddened face.

Her hair stuck to her face again, and her clothes weighed a ton more than they had when she left home. _Home_. No, now wasn't the time to think like that. Home wasn't much of a happy place, but it was a damn sight better than the side of a road.

She lifted her gaze to fall directly into the golden glow, lightening her eyes. Her eyelashes swept across the lines of almond eyes, orange tones being brightened by incandescent light. You could see them so clearly, the outer ring of her irises almost brown—like her mother and brother's—but unmistakably, her eyes were the colour of a carved pumpkin, with a dimming flame inside. Her hair was virtually brown, especially now wet, but a similar warmth or red and orange would shine when dry. An auburn-brown was what she always called it.

She blinked the dazzle out of her eyes and pressed on, driven to a crossroad where she passed a glance each way. She sighed when she realised this was what her life had come to. Crossroads. Many paths with few safe enough to take. Taking the road that _feels_ right. There would be dead ends, backtracks, stops and starts, but her mind was set. She was going to find out who she was and she was going to live and tell that tale. That was her goal. No, that was her crutch.

She, fuelled on an inhuman desire to flee, carried onwards, en route for Midgar, in a frantic attempt to get _somewhere_ before it got too late in the day to do anything at all.

_Of all the dumb things you've done…this is the stupidest. Running…? From what? From my life? Oh…what am I doing…?_

Silence beat her eardrums. It was quiet. Numb. The houses that lined the streets were uninhabited, but it was peaceful. Peaceful or…eerie. Sometimes that could be a fine line. She picked up her pace, trying to distract herself from guilt that clawed at her skull.

_I let him down…Danny…you need m—I need _you_… My…little brother…_

Sickness. Her eyes stung like her eyelids were sandpaper, and she found it difficult—scratch that—near _impossible_ to breathe. She felt it in her stomach…a snowballing effect so unstoppable, so intense, churning up her insides. The more she thought, the faster it whirled, and the harder her heart thumped in her chest.

Adrenaline fuelled her body in a surge as her brain spewed out negative thoughts like ShinRa's military personnel began firing machine guns on command. Beads of sweat formed above her brow as she suffocated, boiling from the inside out.

_He must…he probably hates me…! What've I…what've I done?_

The sense of impending doom haunted all of her endeavours. But she ran on. Running and running, losing feeling in her legs, her sight blurred and frenzied. If there was ever a time to describe a person as 'out of control,' it was quite possibly now. Loud sobs pierced through her throat as she willed the ground to swallow her up. Ear-ringing, mouth-drying, light-headed, eye-burning _panic._ But then…

The eighteen-year-old's life was about to end.

She had long lost all sense of concentration. She just ran out. Right into the road. She hadn't heard it _or_ seen it until it hit her. Quite literally. At the speed that the large ShinRa truck was travelling, there would have been no chance of survival. It hit her, right in her side. The force had sent her forward a few feet and the truck was to run her over.

It could not have been prevented.

She probably wouldn't have felt anything anyway. After being knocked over, her head would have come into contact with such a high speed and force her skull would have most likely have been shattered, if it wasn't already after the initial impact. Then the truck would crush her under huge wheels. The sound of her bones cracking and breaking would fill the air. Her crushed ribs would puncture her lungs.

At the very moment of death her heart would stop beating and her lungs stop breathing. The death chill was to invade her body like water bursting through a dam. Her blood would drain from her vessels and collect in the lower part of her body, in this case her back, and she would become rather pale on the upper side and dark and bruised on the lower. Give it a few hours and she would stiffen like a porcelain doll.

But she didn't.

Her vision left her. Swallowing blackness that toyed with her senses. Such a deafening silence. She couldn't move herself, but she felt her legs dangling. That was it. Her legs did not ache, her eyes were no longer sore, but she felt no relief. She was stripped of sense. It was mind-numbing, if peaceful.

_Am I dead?_

The last she could recollect of such a tranquil moment was a gentle, greenish substance dancing around her, entwining itself with her, and floating with her. And after such a harsh separation from sense, the sight and touch the substance gave her was a larger relief than she had ever experienced before.

Meanwhile, the same glowing, greenish 'liquid' that Alcie saw, lightly wrapped itself around her physical body, seconds before impact. The substance then rose upwards, as if it was evaporating, bringing up her body and dissolving it with the mysterious fluid. With a small flash it was gone…

_The driver of the truck pulled the lorry to a halt, as he could've sworn he hit something, or perhaps worse, some_one_. His brows furrowed when there was no one and nothing to be seen._

* * *

**? ? ? ? ?**

"…Light…"

"_**Yes. Move forward, Alcie. Work hard and learn."**_

"What…? Who…are you?"

"_**Fear not, my child. I will take you where you need to be."**_

"…Where I…_need_...to be?"

"_**Remember. Learn the truth. Fight. And **_**live**_**."**_

_Is this…the Goddess?_

"_**Yes, child. I am."**_

"…Minerva."

"_**Now go. Be on your way."**_

"…How…? Don't go…I don't understand…"

* * *

Falsified light was cast upon a vast area, who knows how large.

"Ugh…ughhh."

Lay on a dirty, dusty floor was a certain auburn-haired girl, her cheek pushed into a few stones rather uncomfortably. She whined as pain shot through her body. She felt relief before. This wasn't it.

"Holy…this is _some_ headache…" She grumbled grimly as she rubbed her forehead, expecting such to help at least a _little_. It really didn't.

She propped herself up on her elbow and observed a bloodied graze that covered a large part of her left arm under the soft material of her plain black, long-sleeved top. That was torn rather spectacularly now. And blood-stained. Great. She shook her head lightly to bring herself around a little, but only succeeded in making her head pound just that bit more.

"Goddess, it's so stuffy here…" She heard a ringing sound in her head.

_Tinnitus? I don't get tinnitus… _She thought, but dismissed the subject swiftly.

She looked up. "Whoooa, wait a sec. Where did the sky go, what…?"

Fifty meters above ground sat what Alcie saw and could only be described as a massive sheet of metal. A massive sheet of metal joined to other massive sheets of metal like segments in a circle.

_Things are…getting weird. I'm sorry, Danny…I'm sorry…_

To say the eighteen-year-old was confused would be an understatement, and the groggy haze that could quite easily have been a one-hundred year sleep didn't help with her judgement. Of course, she hadn't been asleep for one-hundred years. Perhaps not even an hour. Maybe only seconds. But the possibility was an open one, for Alcie.

"Where am I?" She wailed, drawing out the 'I' for as long as she could. "How the hell did I get here?"

She sighed when she got no reply, as if she expected one. She could remember nothing. Nothing except running up to a crossroad and running onward. She had no recollection of any other event or occurrence. None at all. She didn't allow herself to accept she was frightened as she looked around but met nothing but old, broken trains and a faint, almost minty coloured tinge that hung in the air in certain lights. But really, she had every right to be.

"Some kind of…gas pollution? Healthy…" She said dryly before picking herself off the floor.

Now, logical thinking wasn't always her strong point, but the fact that she couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation as to where she was or, you know, how she even got there could be overlooked in such a circumstance.

She stumbled forward, dusting off her damp, khaki pants, and flattened down her torn-up shirt. Her hair was still wet but it sure as hell wasn't raining here. That didn't make much sense. She should've stopped keeping track; a _lot _of things weren't making sense.

Alcie wandered on slowly and quietly until she tripped on a cylinder-shaped vial. Each end had a silver cap rounding off the tubed shape. It looked like an over-sized Behemoth pill, really. She picked it up and studied it inquisitively, slim lips pursing as she looked at the liquid of the lightest blues.

"Well…curiosity killed the cat, I guess."

Chuckling at her own sheer idiocy and the fact she was going to drink a random fluid that she found on the floor, she unscrewed the cap. Tawny eyes widened infinitesimally as she felt a warm sensation engulf her injured arm. She watched as her cuts and grazes began to tidily knit together as she pulled a face of discomfort at the slight itch that crept into the closing wounds. She shifted her gaze as she acknowledged a tightening of the skin around her right knuckle, where she had punched the tiled shower and wall. All that remained was dried blood and dirt. On the whole she felt better, yet there was something about the taste that made her feel that perhaps she wasn't in a familiar setting.

"That…was no normal Potion…"

'Normal' Potions came in little pyramid-shaped vials that didn't really do much of anything in terms of actually healing you, like they're supposed to. That, and the liquid was a dark-blue hue and tasted like crap if you drank it, according to Alcie. This one was virtually tasteless and did a damn sight more than anything else she'd ever tried.

She frowned at the bottle as she clasped it back up before running her thumb over an embossment. It was a sign recognised globally, and offered Alcie some kind of relief. A square with an equilateral diamond overlapping it, with symbols the eighteen-year-old could never understand. But she did, however, understand what the symbol meant as a whole. It was a logo. The logo for ShinRa Electric Power Company.

She threw the empty vial on the floor where, to her mild surprise, it shattered and dissolved quickly. She was quickly able to decide why.

_So, it's used in combat. You can break it on wounds for a more precise heal. It's ShinRa's so unless I'm totally unlucky and that was a trap, I'm safe. _

Her eyes darted from corner to corner as she spied the crumbling trains and scrap metal. It must've been a dumping ground for old, tatty trains that were perhaps of another use. Maybe they were needed so that new trains could be made from old parts. Alcie couldn't help but think they were just a nest for monsters.

She could hear them. She could hear their cries and moans and growls and snarls. It was slightly unnerving, but there was nothing else to do except move out from the shadows and press on. The girl crept lightly, peering around corners slowly before passing, watching Ghosts fade and reappear. She fingered her survival knife, but couldn't really imagine it being particularly useful against fiends that aren't physical. She would turn and twist and bend and jump in order to remain unseen and away from Cripshays and Deenglows. Particularly the latter. She didn't quite feel up to being sliced in two by an over-sized dragonfly. She shuddered at the thought.

Quickly passing a glance behind her, she took a sharp left around a lit train. Hearing noises she turned and backed up. Watching…carefully…taking steps back rapidly.

A crash. A _loud_ one at that. She tripped and fell backwards over a large barrel.

"Oh, _cock_ it."

An Eligor met her square in the face. A big, angry-loooking, red-eyed Eligor. The copper-haired girl rolled to her feet, narrowly escaping an attack from the blade that lined the horses head.

Oh yeah. This thing was half horse, half Cyclops-ghoul on wheels. Wait, make that _angry_ Cyclops ghoul on wheels. Large wheels. In fact, it looked almost like a horse and carriage just…combined. Whatever the case, it didn't look very happy. And Alcie wasn't very prepared.

She acted quickly, and slammed a leg into the horses neck, but having only ever trained against a human, she over-estimated its height, causing her ankle to catch the blunt edge of the blade. The horse of the Eligor threw its head back, slicing the hind of Alcie's thigh. She yelped in pain as she pulled her leg back and scanned the area quickly, searching for an escape.

Her plans were interrupted as the beast drew in on her. Unexpectedly, she spun to the right and drop-kicked the ghoul in the left side of the head. It screamed, swung on its wheels and tore through the skin of a recently healed wound.

She smacked a hand to the afflicted upper arm and grimaced. "I'm out of my depth here…"

The girl pulled out her knife, and jabbed and slashed, missing both hits as the Eligor backed up, a red eye turning blue.

"What—oh! Shit!"

She threw herself to the ground just as the fiend blasted a Mono Laser from left to right. She grazed the side of her face and cut the back of her wrist on her own knife, but at least she didn't get the same treatment as the train behind her. She watched as the burst of sheer energy and power sliced a nice line through the side of the train like butter.

If that was her, her bones wouldn't have stood a chance.

Its eye glowed blue once more. She knew she hadn't much time. She cast her eyes around. _Nothing_. Nothing but trains and fallen support structures lay on top of them…

"That's it!"

Directly above where the Eligor was charging, a large metal beam lay across two trains, and _that_ was her ticket out of hell. She charged directly at the enemy, breathing hard. She jumped into it, and planted two feet firmly in its face before leaping off like a springboard, onto the nearest train. Losing its bearings, the monster let out a screech reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard, and blasted its Mono Laser directly for her. However, the only thing it successfully managed to slice up, was the metal beam, which crashed down, pulverising the Eligor as it fell.

"Oh. My. Goddess." She sighed a shuddering breath over the ringing in her head, firmly holding her arm with a hand that was covered in blood. "That's my blood…oh man…that's, that's my blood!"

As her levels of adrenaline lowered, the reality of pain returned and she began to feel a throbbing on her face from when she hit the floor. Her leg was worse off than her face; the lower part of her leg had been somewhat protected by her knee high boot but the back of her knee and part of her thigh had been caught by the sharp blade. Her arm was the worst though. The cut was deep, though not to the bone, and was bleeding quite well. She silently wished she had saved that Potion she had found for later, she could've done with using it now.

The bloodied teenager cast an eye over the expanse from her vantage point, seeking an exit before lowering herself off the train, _painfully_, to study the fallen Eligor. It slowly began to fade into a red mist before diffusing without a trace. Well, except for a pouch of Gil that it dropped. Alcie picked up her little 'reward' and tugged at the strings. She counted 120 and shoved it in her pocket.

_Oh, ow… _She thought absent-mindedly as she caught her damaged wrist awkwardly. _Right, that's it. It's time to get out of here…_

She stumbled off in the general direction of where she thought an exit may be, with an agonising limp in her step, and before long, she came into contact with the first human she had seen since her brother, and to be honest, he looked less inviting than the Eligor.

It was a man dressed in a smart red uniform and hat. Helmet. Head item. Thing. Alcie didn't know. She did, however, recognise the uniform. ShinRa, again. It was the uniform for their standard guards, most often seen around their military bases and large cities. Regardless, he was standing by and…guarding, presumably, a train station just up some steps.

"WHAT YEAR IS IT?!" She exclaimed in mock horror, suppressing a laugh. Clearly the man didn't understand her humour.

"_Excuse_ _me_?"

"Uh…can you tell me where…uhhh…_this_ is?" She waved her good arm around.

"Sector Seven."

"Sector, what?"

"The _slums_, ma'am. Now get outta here if you're not getting on the train," The man bellowed, losing his temper. Already.

Alcie pulled a face for a moment, perhaps contemplating on whether or not to continue to wind this man up, and wiped her chin, smearing it with blood before opening her mouth to speak again.

"…The _slums_?" She said, frowning.

"_MIDGAR_."

_Midgar_. Of course, she knew it was Midgar after he said slums but, she enjoyed the odd bit of mischief, even when she was bleeding to death. Oh wait, yeah, _she_ _was_ _bleeding_. She kicked a sense of urgency back into her brain.

"Uh, yeah, thanks…sorry," she mumbled, preoccupied with her thoughts. "Oh, one more thing, where's the closest place I can stay?"

The irritable man pointed a baton towards Alcie's left. "There. Follow the path, past the pillar."

She turned in the direction he proffered and eyed the 'pillar.' "Thanks."

Moments later, she found herself clawing her fingers into a wired fence, staring up at the huge set of stairs winding up and up alongside what was unmistakably, the pillar. A huge, _huge_ pillar of rock and metal and Goddess-knows what else. The orange-eyed girl clung to the fence as her vision blurred, before settling her vision somewhere a little more ground-level.

A town. Maybe it couldn't be called a town, but a gathering of buildings with people milling around.

"Uh, excuse me, do you know where I c—"

"—Ain't seen you 'round here before. Outta my way."

"Okay, thank you," she said dryly. _These people are not people persons…_

She rolled her eyes around, trying to decide where to go. Where _can_ you go when everyone keeps themselves to themselves and seems to hate everyone? A public place. She wasn't about to go knock on someone's door. She cast her eyes over to a large wood and brick building with a luminescent sign. 'Seventh Heaven,' it said.

_People walking in, people walking out…it seems busy enough. What're the chances I'll die in there…? Heh-heh…_

She headed over tiredly, getting slower and slower as she neared the doors, pain now showing in her face. She grunted and dragged herself up the steps, wincing, and really beginning to think amputation with a blunt knife would hurt less.

Inside it was moderately busy. There were tables dotted around and people sat talking and drinking, the odd hysterical laugh and drunk cheer permeating the air. Her eyes darted from table to table, taking in as many faces as she could, but no one really paid attention to her until she eyed a bar. Okay. She was in a bar. Better than nothing. The eighteen-year-old limped up to the bar taking tentative steps.

"Can I get you anythi—oh my, are you okay?"

Alcie looked down to her feet briefly. Yeah, she looked quite beat up. Blood and dirt covered the one side of her face and forehead as well as her chin, her hair wet and curling around her face. Her clothes were no better off, they were torn and dirty, blood-stained and wet too, which made no sense seeing as it was perfectly dry down here in the slums.

She groaned when she removed her hand from a wounded arm. "Uhh… I've been better."

"Sit down," the barmaid advised worriedly, pulling a chair out behind the bar. "Look, uh, you stay right here. I'll go get you some medicines, okay?"

Alcie hobbled over to the chair and slumped down into it. Taking the pressure off her leg felt good, but she moaned in pain when she tried to stretch it out. She struggled with her limbs stubbornly for another minute or so, searching for a seemingly fabled comfortable position, which she was finding near impossible.

Alcie smiled when the girl returned with a multitude of bandages and items of all sorts. She was struck by how naturally pretty this girl was. She had long, black hair that fell to her lower back like a silk ribbon. Well, maybe it was dark-brown, Alcie was sure she had seen a gloss of brown tones come through under the light. But by this point, Alcie found it perfectly plausible that she might just be imagining things though.

This girl, she was shorter than Alcie, standing at about 5'5", but Alcie was taller than most girls anyway, at 5'9". She was…_gifted_ in the chest, which clarified why so many men were spending their time looking over. But to Alcie, what stuck out most about the pretty girls appearance were her stunning, wine-red eyes.

"I couldn't find any useful materia, but I did find some ShinRa Potions and bandages," the barmaid assured. "I think these'll do the trick. What happened?"

"Well, I, uh…I woke—uh, _found_ _myself_ in some uh…place with trains everywhere? And I got attacked by an Eligor…heh-heh…" She chuckled nervously.

"The train graveyard? How did you end up in there?" She asked as she broke a seal on a Potion. "Sorry, it might sting," she added as she poured the substance into Alcie's wounded arm.

"It's okay." Lies. She bit her lip, trying to muffle her shuddering breaths. "I…I don't know how I got there."

A quizzical expression pulled on the bar-maid's face. "You don't know? Well, thank Goddess you're alright."

_Goddess_. A ringing set in Alcie's brain triggered off again. Goddess.

It was the Goddess! That's right! The Goddess brought her here! She closed her eyes and remembered everything, the blackness, the pleasant feeling, the conversation with Gaia herself and even the truck. But…_why_? That was another question.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Questioned the red eyed of the two.

"Uhh...yeah? It's a long story, I think."

"…Let's get you upstairs, we can talk there, and I'll bandage you up, that okay?"

"That's fine, thanks, Miss…uh—"

"Tifa. Tifa Lockhart. Nice to meet you." She smiled and offered her hand.

Alcie shook it, if weakly. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Alcie Lenna."

* * *

**A/N: We met a canon character! I told you, guys! Okay, so, yeah. There we go. The chapters will start to kinda lengthen a bit now, but this is usually the shortest they'll be. We're finally getting to the good stuff, I tell you! Big plans for the Chapter 5 and 6, methinks, big plans… Thanks for reading!**


	4. Fade To Black

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: Hello and welcome to the land of Chapter 4! MORE FAMILIAR FACES HERE because there's an important young man I think we need to meet *grins* If you make it through this and the next chapter that are sorta filler-y, you'll be rewarded with Chapter 6, I promise! But for now, enjoy the rollercoaster that is this pretty ridiculously long-winded chapter that covers an absurd amount of ground :)! – Fearlessed x **

**Chapter 4 Update: **2nd June '13. This will be the last dramatic change, I think. But, uh, don't hold me to that.I had to shorten it and remove like, unnecessary parts and stuff but anyway. Here we are!

**Disclaimer: **No own, no sue, you geddit?

* * *

**Chapter 4: Fade To Black**

Alcie hobbled around a guest room that she could only describe as minimalist and clean. Well. It _was _clean until she accidentally bled everywhere while trying to get comfortable. She looked fairly mortified after she realised what she'd done, but Tifa just shook her head in a gentle way, and told her not to worry about it. She told Alcie that this room was like an infirmary sometimes, and although the prospect of Tifa keeping bloodied people holed up in this room was both amusing and unnerving to the girl, she chose not to question it.

"You said it caught the back of your leg?" Tifa asked as she cleaned Alcie's arm.

"Urrrh…yeah." She chuckled to herself and motioned to the back of her wrist and face. "Most of it is self-inflicted."

"What? How did you manage that?"

"I threw myself at the floor and cut myself," she said nonchalantly. "An everyday occurrence, really."

Tifa laughed lightly. "You seem like the type. Right, now, I'll sort you out some clothes, okay? Take a shower whenever you're ready and come down and see me in the bar."

"Thanks, Tifa."

"You're welcome." Her eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled. "Oh, and you'll wanna drink this." She handed over a vial similar to that of the one Alcie had found. "It'll sort out the worst wounds. I'll be in the bar, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks again."

"Don't mention it," she insisted, before slipping out of the room.

Alcie sighed, staring at the Potion blankly. This was going to hurt. In a split second of boundless bravery, she yanked off the cap and brought the bottle to her lips. She found herself glad that Tifa wasn't around to hear the string—scratch that—knitted _scarf_ of cursing that pulled from her throat as her skin stitched itself together from the inside out. But after the initial twenty or thirty seconds of unbearable pain wore off, she realised the bleeding had stopped, and it hurt a lot less.

Standing was not a nice feeling, though she did anyway. She waddled from the bedroom to the bathroom by simply shifting the weight from foot to foot as her good leg did the work. It was a good feeling to finally get out of those blasted, sodden clothes and get in the shower. _Really_ good.

And she didn't have a mild breakdown in the shower either, which was positive.

She did, however, spend a lot of time trying to banish thoughts of her brother from her mind, seeing as they would more than likely spiral her into a fiery pit of gloom and self-pity and she didn't want that. Even for that, though, she felt pretty bad.

But what really dominated her mind, was the Goddess. I mean, the _Goddess_! She must've been going crazy. That was the only solution. Surely. She wasn't talking to the Goddess, she was hallucinating! Hallucinating sounds. Yeah. That was it. Yeah.

No.

_I _need_ to be in Midgar…? I'm pretty sure that was just a spur of the moment thing, Minerva! I don't need to be anywhere. I make my own decisions. I lead my own life. _Need_ to be in Midgar. My ass. _

_What about my brother? I _need _to be with him, actually. I didn't…think. Before I left. I just left. We were supposed to come here together. We were supposed to come to Midgar and we were supposed to join the infantry together—if they'd let us. We wanted to be people. Someones. People who could make a difference and help out and really fight for what we believe. We were supposed to come here together._

_So why is he still home…?_

She stepped out of the shower, dried blood, sweat, and mud a thing of the past, but her burdens no lighter. She bandages herself up tighter than really necessary, until she could walk without a limp and move her should freely. It throbbed, it really did, but it was better than nothing.

She encouraged herself in a half-hearted sing-song voice, pepping herself into dressing into clean clothes and picking her bag up off the floor. The white tank top was slightly baggy in the chest since Alcie had a much smaller bust than Tifa, and the jeans bit her ankles since she was the taller, but tugging her boots over them negated any problem.

The bar was busier now. Music played in the background, but it wasn't much louder than the sounds of drunken laughs and conversation.

Alcie caught a glimpse of a pink blur dart from the bar to the door before it disappeared. "Was that a little girl? Little girls are allowed in bars?"

"She's uh, she's a friend of mine's daughter." Tifa smiled and brushed on quickly. "You look better."

Alcie grinned and sat on a stool in front of the counter. "I _feel _better. My Goddess, I felt like I'd been trampled on by the Knights of The Round."

Tifa smiled warmly. She seemed like a nice person. A people person, which Alcie assumed was rare around these parts. A nice people person that Alcie wanted to repay. She was like that, for some reason. She reached into her bag and pulled out the pouch of Gil.

"Take this." She placed the pocket of Gil in Tifa's hand.

"Oh, you don't have to pay me." She laughed as if the idea was ridiculous.

"No, really. It'll buy you a couple more Potions so that next time I get beat up I can come to you again," Alcie joked.

Tifa shook her head lightly and smiled. "Fine, but you're having a drink. You've gotta be eighteen, right?"

"Yeah, I'm nineteen in March. Thanks. I'll have a…uhh…I'll have a…?"

Tifa snorted and started mixing some kind of concoction. "Not much of a drinker?"

"Not really. I know I don't drink cheap and nasty alcohol 'cause—"

"—'Cause cheap and nasty alcohol equals a cheap and nasty hangover." Tifa laughed. "I'm the same."

"And after the last hangover I got from said cheap and nasty alcohol, you can imagine, I swore myself off it." She chuckled at the memory. She'd made some pretty spectacular mistakes that night, and her brother—who was actually suffering the same hangover, regardless of being two years underage at the time—spent a long time laughing at her. "I'll have what you're having. I'll trust the instinct of the barmaid."

"Alright. Just a second." She produced some kind of drink effortlessly, and Alcie watched like she was witnessing wizardry. Tifa slid her over a fairly large glass of Tequila Sunrise. "So where are you from?"

"Kalm Town, you?"

"Nibelheim."

"Wow, _really_? That's like, way far—west continent, right?" She sipped her drink and was rather pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah. I moved to Midgar when I was about fourteen."

"This's good," she praised. "Why'd you move?"

"My teacher brought me here after an accident at Mt. Nibel five years ago. Sephiroth and another member of SOLDIER came to check on the reactor and I was their tour guide."

"Sephiroth? The Great Sephiroth? Holy hell, I like how said that like it's no big deal! Daaamn!"

"Yeah," Tifa said just as calmly as before. She smiled lightly, but she clearly didn't idolise the warrior quite like Alcie did. "They came to investigate some kind of abundance of monsters in the mountains and we were attacked by a Behemoth. Long story short, I was almost dead so Zangan, my martial arts teacher, found me and took me here for medical attention and, well, I've been here since."

"Okay, I see, so, you do martial arts?"

"Yeah, I love it. Been doing it since I was eight and I'm nineteen and still practice every day."

"My training is minimal," Alcie scoffed, absent-mindedly picking at the bandage on her arm. "I train with my brother and his friend 'cause his dad used to be an instructor for ShinRa, right, but as you can tell from my injuries, I'm not all that good yet."

"I wouldn't say that. Fighting monsters is very different from humans. And besides, you're not dead, are you?"

"I guess not…"

Tifa made a soft noise in the back of her throat. "So, what're doing in Midgar?"

"I came…" She looked at her fingernails cursorily, scanning her thoughts and picking one from her time in the shower. "I came so I could become someone, and find out who I really am."

She mentally face-palmed at how lame and clichéd she must've sounded.

"Many people decide to do that."

"Yeah, but…I ran away from home." _Oh man, you really are the lamest person ever. _She poked around at the olive floating in her drink with a cocktail stick. "Left just today. Didn't have the greatest of home lives."

"You made it from Kalm to Midgar in a_ day_?"

"Well, uh…I don't know. Depends on what time it is? I left at…half-six-ish?"

"How on Gaia did you manage that? The stretch between here and Kalm is _miles_! Barren wastelands, hilly terrains…!"

Alcie stalled by sipping her drink. She chewed the inside of her lip before deciding she needed to tell someone and why not let it be someone she just met?

_Uh… _

"I…was…hit by a truck…?" She glanced at Tifa quickly, just checking she wasn't about to die laughing or ask her what the hell was wrong with her head or something. "Uhh…when I woke up, I was in that train graveyard. I…when I was like, out of it, I thought that the Goddess was…_talking_ to me…"

_You freak_, Alcie thought to herself.

Tifa pursed her lips together. "I…think I know someone who might be able to talk to you about that."

"A psychiatrist?" Alcie asked dryly.

"Ah—no, don't be silly!" The nineteen-year-old chimed surprisingly positively. "Her name is Aerith. You're not gonna believe me, but she's the last of the Cetra."

"Whoa, there's still a living Cetra?" Alcie sang excitedly, so incredibly relieved. Tifa was fairly surprised Alcie even knew what the Cetra were. "I thought the last one died years ago…!"

Tifa looked at her curiously. That was a strange thing to say.

"That'd be really, super great," Alcie added.

"So, that's why you're here?" The barmaid tried to get her head around it all. "You were, uh, sent here?"

"Well, yeah. I was planning on coming here anyway though. I left my brother, Danny, back at home, and I feel really bad because we're like, this close." She held two fingers crossed tightly, sadness touching her face.

"Does he know why you left?"

"Yeah. We've talked about leaving for Midgar loads of times before, and he was gonna join SOLDIER and everything. He's so talented, you know. We were gonna join ShinRa and take the world by storm!" She laughed, her face light and elated. Tifa could tell just by the girl's face how much this meant to her. "I don't know what I'm gonna do now—if only I could join—"

"—Well, actually, I'm going to ShinRa Headquarters this weekend to speak to a good friend of mine. He thinks he's got me a job teaching rookies the _art of the fist_." She laughed. "You should come. Aerith'll be there and you can talk to her. Then maybe we can find you something to do."

"That...would be _awesome_! Thank you _so_ much, Tifa, what in Gaia would I do without you?!" She clasped her hands together and bounced around on her seat like a five-year-old.

Laughing, she served a customer another round of drinks, and Alcie finished off her own. "Really, though, you need anything, I'm there, right? I am _totally_ in your debt."

She tapped her fingers on the glossy wooden surface. "How about you work here for a while? I can train you up to man the bar and you can stay here in return."

"Deal!" She cheered, pumping a fist to the air in excitement.

Over the next few hours, Tifa grew to find Alcie a rather animated personality, cheerful and bright and probably quite good to go on a night out with. She was quick and humorous, and reminded the red-eyed girl of someone she knew.

And Alcie, well, after being told about a surviving Ancient, she was feeling pretty sky-high. Tifa was pretty awesome, if you asked her. She was calm, but surprisingly sharp and sarcastic when it suited her. She didn't seem like the type of girl to stand being messed around by any guy, whether he be drunkenly hitting on her or just being rowdy, and that was pretty damn respectable, so Alcie thought.

Alcie buried her feelings of guilt by distracting herself, and swore herself to not call her brother until she was confident that she wouldn't back out of this 'plan'. Not that she really had one. She did, however, send him a message that only read: I'm safe. Don't worry.

* * *

She shot upright, gasping like the tearing of paper. Her heart pounded in a state of emergency as enormously intense panic and fear forced her body into an adrenaline gushing overdrive. A nightmare. She raised her hands to her face, trembling at the memory.

_Not again…_

She'd like to say she got the nightmare from drinking too much last night and it was a one-time thing, but she'd be lying. She remembered. She replayed.

_She stood on the cold barren cliff edges near Kalm. The air was thin and cold, but that's not why her breathing was so heavy. She'd been running. Running. Daniel was just behind, just as frantic, throwing his gaze over his shoulder._

_But they had come to a dead end. A sheer drop. A sunrise burnt the skyline, but it gave off no warmth. Mist covered the horizon and the air was filled with a frightening chill._

"_RUN!" Daniel screamed, pushing her sharply, willing her to leave._

_She couldn't move. She was immobilised by fear. She choked on her breaths desperately but she couldn't cough out the words._

"_They won't stop until one of us is dead! _Run_!"_

_She tried to scold herself for being weak. Fight, not flee. But she couldn't think. A sheet blocked the sun that allowed her flowers of thought to grow. She could only watch. Watch her brother tell her he loved her, before holding his arms out…_

_And falling to his death._

Her eyes stung and threatened to weep, but she blinked it out and checked the time for a distraction. Nine-thirty-six AM.

She got up, denying herself the glory of sleeping her feelings away. No, she just got up and got on with the day. You can't stay miserable for ever. If she weren't so shaken up, she would've smiled upon seeing the fresh clothes that her new friend must've left her, but instead, she just picked them up and plodded to the bathroom.

After a quick shower she tied her hair up into a ponytail, and then wrapped it into a bun. Long bangs fell over the side of her face, which she tucked behind her ear. She studied the clothing that Tifa had lent her, a pair of red short shorts and a black tank top. She'd also left some black sneakers. It struck her as odd but she went with it anyway. She went back into her room and retrieved her leather gloves, that had suddenly become a lot more sentimentally valuable since leaving home, and pulled them on.

Concluding that she was about as ready for the day as she'd ever be, she trotted down the stairs in search of a certain bar-maid.

The tables in the bar were stacked up along the sides of the fairly large room, the chairs on top or under them. There was a large, unoccupied space now, with Tifa stood in the middle, smiling at Alcie as she came down the stairs.

Alcie blinked. "Did you get robbed or something?"

"Nope. I do this when I'm training."

"…Right…"

"And today, you're training with me!" She beamed, wine eyes bright. "Okay, first off, show me what you can do!"

"Oh—oh, shit. This is happening."

"Come at me like you're trying to _kill_ me!" Tifa clamoured.

Alcie took a deep breath and shot her fist for Tifa's chest. She blocked swiftly and yanked Alcie's arm to force her forwards. She snaked in and rammed her fists into her back, but was caught off guard when Alcie jabbed her elbow back into Tifa's nose, spun and caught Tifa's cheek with a backhand punch . She forced her fist towards her "foe's" stomach.

"I don't think so," Tifa taunted.

She caught Alcie's fist yet again and pulled downwards. She split her leg high into the air and cracked it into the small of the younger girl's back.

Alcie groaned out various expletives as her chin met the wooden floorboards. She rolled to the side to dodge a nasty punch and swung her leg as she got up to send Tifa crashing to the floor.

Unfortunately for her, Tifa recovered much faster than expected, and sent a straight punch to Alcie's shoulder and a hook to the rib. Alcie let the air out of her lungs loudly, _painfully_, before stumbling backwards.

She quickly devised a plan. She connected her ankle to Tifa's neck fairly slowly, who caught it as anticipated. Before Tifa could break Alcie's leg or something, she bent backwards into a flexible bridge and shot her free leg up into Tifa's chin. She stumbled rearward.

"Now _that_ was good," she grumbled in discomfort.

Alcie smiled darkly and darted in her fist. Tifa ducked and countered, slamming a hard foot into her friend's stomach. Without offering Alcie the time to regain her breath, she tackled her and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"Meteodrive."

Tifa smirked and slammed her weight backwards, lifting Alcie right off her feet and cracking her head into the ground so hard that she quite possibly split a floorboard.

Coughing and spluttering, thoroughly winded with an almighty headache, Alcie struggled to regain composure. Tifa grinned almost proudly and held a hand out to the eighteen-year-old. "See? You're not too bad!"

Over the next few hours, Tifa began basic training over areas focusing on self-defence, where to hit, what to do, what _not_ to do, leverage of weight and general technique. The auburn-haired girl was sure she had sweated off at least half of her body weight.

"How're you feeling?" The brunette smiled.

"As lean as a squirrel." She wiped the sweat from her brow with her forearm and sat cross-legged on the floor. "Lean, but not attractive. Sweaty and gross."

"We'll take a break, yeah. Hey…what time is it anyway?"

Alcie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, why?"

"A friend of mine told me that today some cadets from ShinRa have been promoted to SOLDIER Third Class, and they come here to celebrate."

"Oh, okay, I get it. It'll be busy tonight then?"

"For sure."

"When do they start pouring in?"

"Any time between six and eight really."

Alcie pushed herself up off of the floor reluctantly and dusted down her shorts before fetching her PHS from the bar. "It's half-one."

"Well, then. Barmaid training time!" She laughed as Alcie pulled a face at the prospect of more work. "Don't give me that look! Come onnn, it's a _really_ fun job and, you know, you can keep your tiiiips!"

"Agh. FINE." Alcie threw her arms up in the air, scoffing in mock disgust. "You had me at tips."

* * *

"I don't see why I have to wear this, Tifaaaa!" A certain pale-skinned girl whined.

"Oh, shush. You look fine. Look, put it this way. The hotter you look, the more tips you will get, alright?"

Alcie snorted. "Sex sells, huh? But, I don't do short skirts!"

"Well, unfortunately for you, I am currently in full control of your clothing and, I must add, I am thoroughly enjoying myself." She grinned widely.

Tifa had picked out a black, high-waisted pencil skirt. Well. It would be a pencil skirt if the skirt reached her knees. But no. It _was_ rather short, but as far as Tifa was concerned—no, wait. Tifa wasn't concerned. At all.

"B—but, does it even cover my ass?" Alcie squealed, twisting herself around in ungoddessly shapes trying to check for herself.

Tifa had also picked out a silken, crimson-red blouse that slipped into the skirt neatly. Alcie was also forced into black heels, but she wasn't bothered with that. Her usually wavy hair hung in loose, bouncy curls now, and Tifa was particularly proud of her handiwork.

The brunette was also all dressed up, donning a blue dress with a modest neck and a thin golden belt hanging off the waist loosely. Her earrings were crescent moon-shaped and took the same golden shimmer as the belt, while her bangs were swept away from her face.

"So, what's the special occasion?" Alcie asked as she licked on a little bit of make-up.

"Well, it's been a big week for SOLDIER members, and it's _such_ a good night—"

"No, I mean, why all the fuss?" She smirked knowingly.

"Haven't you _seen_ how hot SOLDIER members are?"

Alcie narrowed orange eyes. "There's a _someone_, isn't there?! Spill it, Tifa!"

The brunette sighed at such an interrogation, but gave in after Alcie threatened to perforate Tifa's eardrums with high-pitched shrieking. "I…heard that an old friend might have made it to SOLDIER this week—"

"—Old _friend_ or old flame?" Alcie snickered.

Tifa blushed furiously. "Friend…! I just hoped he might be here."

Alcie still had that infuriatingly knowing grin on her face until she laughed. "So. Hot guys, huh?"

* * *

Cheery-looking members of SOLDIER and friends packed up most of the tables in the bar. It wasn't late enough yet for people to start dancing and the Turks to drop their pants yet though. Not drunk enough, anyway.

"Some of them won't turn up until ten or eleven-ish because they start the party at home then make their way here," Tifa explained. "That friend I've been telling you about—the one who thinks he has me a job—he's on his way with a few other Firsts."

Alcie almost choked. "Your friend is a _First_?"

"Yeah. His name's—oh boy…you're up."

"Huh—?"

"—Hey there, hotstuuuff." A seemingly drunken, red-haired man interrupted the eighteen-year-old, waving an arm around to catch her attention as he approached the bar. He wasn't that drunk, really. He _knew_ what he was doing.

"Can I get you anything?" Alcie asked as sweetly as she could. As _patiently_ as she could.

"A phone number would be nice."

Alcie could hear Tifa poorly attempting to stifle an unruly case of the giggles. "Uhh…that's not for sale." She choked, taken aback.

"Aw…that's a great shame. The name's Reno. Reno of the Turks."

He pushed his weight onto the counter with his arms folded across his chest, forcing Alcie to lean away. He was wearing some kind of suit but in a less…conventional way. The black suit jacket was fine, although not buttoned up, but his white shirt was only done up about midway. Alcie was sure that if she looked, she'd be able to see right down to his stomach. She definitely chose not to look.

"What's yours?" He probed.

"…Alcie. Uh. Can I get you anything?" She reiterated, shooting Tifa a look that said no less than oh-dear-Goddess-help-me-what-is-wrong-with-this-gu y.

"Yeah, _Alcie…_I'll get a…a…uhhh… Whatever, I don't remember. Just another round of rum'll do." He ran a hand through messy, fiery hair, which was held back by goggles that were sat on his hairline. He was attractive undoubtedly, with a pretty face, but Alcie couldn't help but find his passes just a little too strong. Besides, she was pretty sure he was just doing it for the hell of it anyway.

"Coming right up," she said, and moments later, she handed him a tray full of the requested round of drinks, smiling as best she could, but expecting him to drop the tray. "Alright, there you go. It's on your tab."

"Thanks, Alcie, Alllceeyalater." He grinned cheekily and winked.

"MhMM. 'KaythanksBYE!" She smashed her elbows into the glossy wood and sank her face into her hands. "Oh dear GODDESS, I hate it when people say that!"

"Why?" Tifa muted her desire to snicker; figuring laughing at her might cause a second outburst of crazy.

"Because, like, they always think they're the most _original_ person in the universe and it drives me absolutely bat-shit INSANE."

"I'm beginning to think you _are_ bat-shit insane," she scoffed.

"See, now, you wouldn't be all that wrong." She pointed and wiggled her finger in Tifa's face, calming, before taking a large gulp from her second drink of the night.

"You're not kid—oh! They're here!"

Tifa "subtly" nodded over to the door as a fairly large group of about fourteen or so men entered their favourite bar. Alcie nearly choked. Almost passed out. Almost _died_. Either is fine and completely justifiable because these men really _were_ attractive. Alcie recognised a few of them from the television and the newspaper but they looked at least eight-thousand times better in person. She thought her eyes were going to fall out of her head and that would be some kind of problem but—_focus, Alcie!_

"Oh my goddess, Teef, hoooly Hellfire, what is going _on_ in here?!"

"I warned you!"

One of the men called over. "Tifa!"

"Hey, Zack." She smiled up at him as he neared the counter. "How are you?"

"Never better!"

"Good to hear. Zack, this is my friend, Alcie Lenna." She motioned—no, she didn't. She yanked Alcie by the elbow and smiled. "Alcie, this is Zack Fair, a good friend of mine. The one I mentioned."

When Zack looked at Tifa and grinned at the prospect of being talked about, Tifa pulled a face and knocked the wind out of his sails. "That _one time._ Just once."

He pouted before laughing and looking over to Alcie and offered his hand out to her. "Hey, Alcie, it's nice to meet you."

It took every ounce of willpower she had to not melt into a slack-jawed, giggling mess when he looked at her. He had the most stunning eyes she'd ever seen; a perfect mix of blue and _lavender_. That, paired with his coal-black hair that bounced in long, loose spikes, really made him stand out.

It felt like a lifetime to Alcie, but was probably only three or so seconds before she took his hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you too."

"Zack!" Someone called, stealing his attention as he searched for whoever called his name.

"I'll be back in few minutes, ladies." He flashed a grin at the pair before fading into the crowds.

"WOW." Alcie stood wide-eyed, taking a _large_ swig of her drink. "Okay, wow. Okay. You did _not_ warn me about that! How could you fail to mention tha—_him_!"

Tifa laughed. "Calm down, Alcie. Plenty more where that came from."

"I don't know if I can handle it." She snorted. "You can call me Cee, by the way."

Before long, three tall men came up to the bar. She needed no introduction, really. They were three of the most famous SOLDIER members ever, and Alcie was more than a little star struck.

The first man was largely built, very broad and tall, standing at a solid 6'4", with black hair that lay slicked back from his face. _Attractive_.

The second was perhaps one of the most famous SOLDIER members of all, and Alcie couldn't quite believe he was stood before her, with long silver hair that fell surprisingly gracefully. Had she not had quite a bit to drink, she'd have been perhaps even a little frightened of this man in particular. But still. _Attractive_.

And the third man with auburn hair much lighter than Alcie's own, wore much more red leather than was absolutely necessary. _Attractive_. _Predictably_.

The first to speak…_slur_ was the latter. "Hello, I've not seen you before."

Tifa stepped in hurriedly. "Alcie, this…is Genesis Rhapsodos…"

"A mildly intoxicated Genesis Rhapsodos," the raven-haired man said. "He's never so social."

"Right…" Tifa nodded slowly and chuckled before motioning to the other two men who seemed at least two hundred per cent more sober than the red-haired. "Then this is, of course, Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley. Guys, this is Alcie Lenna."

"It is an honour, Alcie," spoke the auburn-haired man. His hair was much, _much_ lighter than hers, but again, as with the previous member of SOLDIER she met, Alcie was drawn to his eyes. They were _so_ blue. He took her hand in his and kissed it more gently than the eighteen-year-old knew a SOLDIER member was capable of. She bit her lip slowly, not used to such attention.

Sephiroth nodded, not willing to show such an outrageous form of affection, and Angeal smiled widely and held out a hand for her to take. She smiled and accepted it graciously, before taking another looong sip of her drink.

"What can I get you all?" She asked, really finding her footing in this bartending thing. After receiving orders, she spun around, hopping for different bottles and tubes and quite frankly, a load of other crap she knew nothing about. She smiled. "There you are."

"Thanks, we'll be over on our table," Angeal began, "it was nice to meet you, Alcie. Good to see you, Tifa."

"You too."

Genesis burst out into the start of a dramatic monologue. "_Even if the morrow is barren of promises_—"

"Already?" Sephiroth sighed.

"—Nothing_ shall forestall…my return_."

"Can't you just go one night without reciting the entire play?" Sephiroth grumbled as they head to their table. "I've heard it more times that Angeal has lectured me about honour….it's even worse when you're drunk….will you just….?"

Alcie laughed to herself as Sephiroth abandoned her earshot. It was really getting busy now, and music was high. She scanned the area, taking in the drunken laughter and clunking glasses. In the corner of her eye she caught…some red head dancing wildly, trousers around his ankles, flailing his arms in the air, stood alone by his table. She couldn't quite see his face. She then watched a blonde woman yank the former by the ear and pull him back down. Her eyes darted around mindlessly until they met with someone she'd already met. _Zack_. She smiled gently before looking to her feet.

"What're you smiling at?" Tifa prodded, grin ear to ear.

"No one." She chuckled. "Anyway, where's that guy you were talking about?"

"He should be here somewhere…"

Zack, unbeknownst to the pair of barmaids, weaved up to the bar with a certain ball of blonde fuzz in tow. Using any kind of excuse to get over there, really. He smiled. "Hey…uh. Hey! Look who made it into SOLDIER! This's my frien—"

"—Oh! _Cloud_! Your hair looks like a chocobo!"

Both Alcie and Zack shot Tifa a bemused look.

"…Tifa?!" His cerulean eyes widened infinitesimally. Another SOLDIER member with super blue, awesome eyes. Ugh. Look at them all.

"How've you been?! I haven't seen you for _too_ long!" She cried, coming out from behind the counter and giving the blonde a hug.

"It's good to see you, Tifa," he said softly, gently placing a hand on her back.

When Zack passed Alcie a glance she only shrugged and laughed. "I think I know less than you do."

"Oh! Sorry, Cee, this is Cloud Strife. We used to live next-door to each other when we were kids. Cloud, this is Alcie Lenna."

"Nice to meet you, Cloud."

"Same to you."

"Hey, Cee...would you mind if—"

"—Go for it." Alcie smiled and watched Cloud's eyes light up as they wandered out of earshot. She sensed something between them. Couldn't put her finger on what, but it was there. She floated in a moments silence before she realised this meant she'd have to talk to Zack by herself without back-up. Goddess only knows what stupid things she'd say.

"I had no idea they knew each other," Zack mumbled, scratching the back of his head, his spikes bouncing like Alcie's curls.

"I guessed as much." She fumbled with her drink in her fingers, watching the olive floating around, nervously trying to avoid the boy's face.

"So, hey. How come I haven't seen you around here before? I'm sure I'd remember a pretty face like yours." He grinned at her flirtatiously. She bet he'd done that a fair few times before.

She shot her eyes up to meet his. Her stomach fluttered and she didn't know why. Well. She did. She just refused to believe it. Even though the colour of her cheeks gave her away.

_Hell, what is wrong with me? Pull yourself together and stop _drooling_ all over the poor guy!_

"I only got here…the uh, the other day, that's probably why."

_Stupid. That's _obviously_ why. _

He didn't pick her up on it. "I get it. So, where do you come from?"

"Kalm Town, yourself?"

"Me? I'm from Gongaga!"

She tilted her head to the side slightly, a curl twirling off her shoulder. Was she staring? Sort of. Yeah. She hadn't meant to, it was just her hormones. Yeah. That's it.

"My face?" He asked impishly.

Her eyes widened. "N-no! Well, yeah, but—"_Oh my Goddess, did you actually just say that? _"—agh…your _eyes_. They're really pretty."

"You like them? Then take a closer look." He grinned confidently as he leaned in closer to her, staring into hers, just inches away from her face. "Eyes infused with Mako Energy. A SOLDIER trademark…but, your eyes are pretty too."

He stared at her for a few seconds longer than he possibly should have, taking in the orange of a setting sun. He'd seen a lot of people, but none with eyes quite like hers. They were pretty and wide with long eyelashes tracing them. The most vivid of colours dancing in her irises. He flicked his eyes down to her lips by accident and backed away. Zack Fair? _Nervous_? Surely not.

She looked away for a second, cheeks flushed. "Thank you."

"Hey, listen, can I—"

"—Where's my puppy?" A loud voice bellowed.

Alcie raised an eyebrow.

"Oh Goddess above…why now?" He murmured under his breath. Alcie pretended she hadn't noticed. "_Angeeeal_!"

"There you are!"

Angeal returned to the bar with a somewhat entertained look on his face. He ruffled Zack's spikes of hair. "I see you've met my puppy. Don't mind him, he gets excited."

Alcie laughed outright as Zack buried his face in his hands. "No, no. It's not a problem. I've enjoyed his company."

"He does try to give the pretty girls good company—"

"—Oh my Goddess, Angeal, if you do not stop I will actually have to murder you."

"Get your asses back over here!" Someone called from their table. "SHOTS!"

Angeal pulled his 'puppy' away from the bar telling some sort of story that neither of the pair caught wind of, "I'll see you again," were the last words she heard off Zack's lips.

She pouted after he disappeared from her sight before her pout slowly moulded into a fair scowl in thought.

_I don't remember serving any shots—_

"—Were you guys like, breathing each other's air or something?" Interrupted Tifa, laughing rather hysterically at Alcie's shocked expression.

"Noooo!" She started, shaking her hands in the air. "Wh—ah, how long have you been standing there?!"

"'_Your eyes…they're…really pretty_'!" She teased, clasping her hands together.

"Hey!" She chucked a cloth that she grabbed off the side of the bar at her friend, landing nicely in her face.

"_I'm_ _sorry_, I'm sorry, I didn't want to disturb you!"

"Whatever!" She said dismissively. "How'd things go with _Cloud_?"

"We…talked—only for a little while—he was pulled away." She couldn't suppress her grin, and she certainly couldn't suppress the glow her face had taken. "He made Third this week. I'm really proud of him…"

"YOU LIIIKE HIM!" Alcie announced, childishly, bouncing on the balls of her feet, secretively just trying to hide her own messed up, jumbled thoughts.

"And _you_ like Zack!" She tried to shout above the music, to no avail.

"I do _not_!" She cried defensively. _Damn it! You had to say the Z-word!_ "Did you _see_ his eyes though?"

"It's the Mako. When someone makes SOLDIER, they have some kind of…operation or something to enhance their muscle strength and stuff." She furrowed her brow. "I don't really know much about it. It's all very hush-hush, you know?"

Just like that her brain snapped from a teenage girl gushing over some hot guy to the mentality of someone you'd figure much older, much wiser.

She nodded. She understood what a mess the world would be in if ShinRa's secrets were revealed. Wars would ravage Gaia's surface and quite possibly, even larger than the current, and humans might just kill themselves off. Imagine that. A war so huge and so devastating, that life perished. What if Wutai's soldiers were as enhanced as ShinRa's? Would Midgar remain standing? Would the civilians and the people of the slums still live, or would they have been killed? Murdered or taken hostage? Would Wutai become power hungry and refuse to stop there? Would they devastate Junon too? And what about the rest of Gaia? Small rebel groups blossoming into full scale armies? Imagine the _terrorism_.

Then Alcie thought deeper. Will Wutai remain standing if ShinRa win the war? Will the civilians still live or will they be killed? Murdered or taken hostage? ShinRa would control most of the world then. Would they stop there? Or would they destroy towns and wipe out everyone who tried to stand up against them. This raises an all-important question.

ShinRa's morality.

She shook her head and blinked away troublesome thoughts. ShinRa would never turn its back on its people, what was she _thinking_? ShinRa is fighting for the good of its people, they provide for their people and they protect their people. That's what ShinRa is about. If ShinRa wanted to wipe out everyone who is against them, they would've done so by now. It's _fine_. But really, she wanted to have a say in that. She wanted to make _sure_ that good came about. She wanted to be in ShinRa, and she wanted to fight for them.

Tifa waved her hand in front of Alcie's set face. "Hellooo…?"

"N'ugh, what—what?"

"You totally drew blank then…thinking about a certain _some_body in the room?" She giggled, jabbing her friend with an elbow.

The eighteen-year-old turned to look at her friend, expressionless. "Uh…no, I was just…thinking."

"…_**People need…protecting. There…things you…need to do…you need to..."**_

"Hnngg, whaaaa—"Alcie blinked. "What?"

"What, what?" Asked a wide-eyed Tifa, bemusement riddling her facial expression.

"You said something?"

"Umm…I said just about nothing at all." She laughed.

"…Oka—okay, I really _am_ bat-shit insane."

"_**You're…not."**_

"There it is again, Tifa. Did you hear it?"

She didn't stop laughing. "Hear what?"

"You seriously didn't hear that?"

"No…just how much have you _drank_?"

"Ugh…_not enough_," she mumbled to herself, ears ringing. "Hey, do you mind if I just…go outside for a second…?"

Sensing the serious undertone to Alcie's voice, she nodded. "Oh…yeah, no, of course you can."

"Thanks."

She took a sip of her drink and swallowed loudly before lifting the divider and making her way through the bar. An idle, beer-sipping, boy in his early twenties caught her in the corner of his eye.

Outside on the wooden decking, the cold hit her hard in the face. It was strange; it was so stuffy the day before, but of course she realised then that the main lights were out. The Plate—the large 'sheets of metal' above them—blocked out the natural light of the Sun, and the false lighting that was used to light it up down in the slums was probably what made it so stuffy. All that lit the streets now were the luminescence that radiated from Tifa's sign, the dim glows coming from people's windows and a few street lights.

She leant on the wooden railings that lined the platform and became oblivious to her surroundings as she was swallowed in sombre thought.

_Who _was_ that…? I…I know that voice. Who is it?_

"What're you d—"

She took such a sharp intake of breath she hurt her throat. She spun quickly with fear spiking her eyes. "Oh! Oh, shi—_Zack_…you frightened the living daylights outta me!"

"Sorry, I—"

"No, no, don't apologise." She shivered. "What're you doing out here, aren't you cold?"

He chuckled. He was only wearing a navy blue V-neck t-shirt and some black jeans, with his hands shoved in his pockets. "Nah, not really."

"But Goddess, it's _freezing_."

"I'm not wearing a mini-skirt though, so…" He laughed.

Blood rushed to her cheeks. "_R__eally_?" she said dryly, trying to distract him from where she feared his gaze might set. Not that she minded—no, no, that's bad. She wasn't going to think about things like that, nope.

"_Really_." He chuckled and leant his shoulder on one of the supports. "I thought you could use some company. You looked kinda shaken up."

"I…"_ Did I?_ She sighed. "Yeah, I just needed…air, I guess."

He studied her face as she looked away from him, staring into lights opposite the bar. His eyes traced hers, revisiting burnt orange pools. He sought her nose and the slight tip to it, not a large nose and not long, neither was it short or small. He let his eyes fall to her painted red lips, only able to see the one side—the left, not right, he saw not a single imperfection—and then followed up her jaw. Her dark hair fell in ringlets behind her and he shot his eyes to meet hers when she gasped.

"Zack!" Alcie turned her head, her eyes wide. She stretched out her hand and clutched his forearm. "I feel—"

"Alcie!"

A familiar blackness licked and scratched at the corners of her vision as she swayed on her feet.

Her eyes rolled back as she fell for the ground.

* * *

**A/N: **Chapter** 4 **Complete!** [Bad reference to FFX-2 was bad] Thought I'd mention, the dress Tifa was wearing is in fact the outfit she wears to Don Corneo's Mansion in-game. This. Was. Such. A. Long. Chapter! It's not even the longest one though, haha. Did you enjoy your introductions to your beloved characters? There's more to come—I'm keeping them on standby in my room, they're indeed on their way! Sooooo, any thoughts guys? I'll love you forever if you review and tell me what you thiiink! **


	5. Pretty Things

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: Hope you all had a lovely Christmas, Readers! Did you guys like the first few chapters? I hope so. Anyway, here we are with the next chapter… Do enjoy its twists and turns and randomness of the filler variety, mwahahaah! – Fearlessed x**

**Chapter 5 Update:** June 3rd '13 :)

**Disclaimer: **As much as I begged and pleaded and cried, Squeenix just _refused_ to hand me ownership of Final Fantasy VII. So instead, I continue on writing my FANfiction.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Pretty Things**

**? ? ? ? ?**

Her head crashed back like a snapping twig. Eyes closed. Jaw fallen. The hold that her fingers had on a strong, muscular arm faltered. Red marks printed on his skin. She was blissfully unaware of her falling—her limbs turning to ribbon.

In her darkness, familiar green-blue tendrils of light twirled before her, playfully tapping her skin and coiling around her fingers. Though she couldn't move to touch it herself, being able to feel _something_ while deprived of almost all other senses was relieving. But, after a few more moments of such pained sensory deprivation, she was blinded by a bright white light.

This place, wherever it was, was like a vacuum of feeling. Voiding her personality. Draining her fight away. She knew this had happened before.

…_I know… _she thought,_ this is that place…where I spoke to you._

"_**Correct, child."**_

"What—? How did you—?"

"_**I see all things, Alcie."**_

"What's happening…? Was it you I could hear earlier…?"

"_**Yes, child. I cannot talk to you properly when you are conscious. Your will is too strong, your mind too heavy."**_

"I don't understand…"

"_**You do not need to. Now is not the time. You must learn on your own."**_

"But I don't know what you want…"

"_**There are people that need protecting. There are things you need to do, things you need to see, my child. Continue ahead on your way."**_

"On my way where?" Her personality flooded back like a punch in the face. "Wait! Get back here!"

"_**Open your mind."**_

"Don't you leave!" She demanded, but the bright light shone brighter, and burst into a scattered array of star-like lights. They grew and grew until all she saw was white, with blue-green streamers floating around.

* * *

Knuckles rapped against a door before it cracked open silently. Alcie grumbled and pulled the some sheets over her face, covering her pinched eyebrows and muffling her voice.

"So it lives."

Alcie opened a single orange eye and shot it towards the owner of the voice. "Mrrrff…"

Tifa laughed. "Not a morning person. Are you feeling okay?"

"Uh…?"

The brunette shook her head as Alcie propped herself up on an elbow. "What do you remember?"

_Uh. Last night, I…_

"I helped out in the bar. Met your friends…" She rubbed an eye. "Oh, I know! I remember, I was hearing voices, yeah. That was it. Then I went outside and I—"

"—Passed out," Tifa finished.

"…Yeah?"

"What _happened_?" She commanded for an answer worriedly, hands on hips.

"Uhh…I spoke to the Goddess again, Teef. That was the voice I was hearing."

Tifa opened her mouth to speak but closed it again, pressing a finger to her lips. "I supposethat explains why you went sorta insane."

"Yeah." She chuckled. Hey, at least her insanity was justifiable. "She told me she couldn't talk to me when I was awake."

"So she knocked you out instead?"

"Apparently." Alcie laughed, shaking the sleepy haze from her brain.

"Do you remember anything else after that?"

"Oh dear Goddess, other stuff happened?"

"Nothing _major_," Tifa replied, smirking, before retelling the story.

"_Hey, do you mind if I just…go outside for a second…?"_

_Sensing the serious undertone to Alcie's voice, she nodded. "Oh…yeah, no, of course you can."_

"_Thanks."_

_She took a sip of her drink and swallowed loudly before lifting the divider and making her way through the bar. A relaxed, beer-sipping, boy in his early twenties caught her in the corner of his eye._

_Outside, the pair conversed lightly, the one studying the other until suddenly, the girl gasped harshly. Zack's eyes widened as she clutched onto his forearm as if for dear life. He watched her jaw drop faintly and her head pull back hard._

"_Alcie!"_

_He watched her body turn to ribbon. He shot an arm out to catch her with SOLDIER reflexes that were proving quite useful, before she hit the floor. _

_Panicking just slightly more than he should, he listened for her breath and flicked his free arm up under her legs, allowing them to dangle peacefully. He kicked the door open a bit harder than he meant to, and tore through crowds of SOLDIER members and drunken Turks._

"_Tifa!" He yelled in alarm._

"_What's wrong, Za—Oh Goddess, what happened?"_

"_I dunno she just passed out!"_

"_Uh—okay, okay, take her upstairs." Tifa ordered, coming out from behind the bar. "She has a room here, follow me."_

_Zack looked positively freaked out. _Girl's don't just pass out! The hell? _He shifted her weight onto his hip and jogged up the stairs after the brunette, and followed her into a room._

_Alcie stirred and lifted her head, looking Zack directly in the eyes. "White…Zack, help…"_

Alcie swallowed, digesting this new information. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, so…WAIT. WHAT, who undressed me then?! OHHH dear Goddess!" She shrieked upon realising she was only wearing a tank top and underwear.

"No, Cee—"

"—HE DID NOT—"

"—No! He—"

"—Pleeease don't tell me he—noooo—"

"—CEE. IT'S FINE!" She fairly screamed. "He didn't undress you! Do you really think I'd let some guy you just met undress you?"

"…Okay…right. PHEW. Thanks, Tifa." She grinned widely, overlooking her freak-out. "I wouldn't let some guys just undress you, either."

Tifa laughed. "I should hope not—"

"—Speaking of, what happened to Zack?" She asked, swerving the conversation over to something she was more interested in, apparently.

Tifa snorted. That was rather sudden. "You don't wait around, do you?"

Alcie made a noise in the back of her throat, dismissing such an outrageous accusation. Actually, it was a pretty fair one. But still.

"He sat in here with you until I shut the bar. He's a good guy."

"Yeah…"

_Everything a girl could ask for. No, that's dumb. Stop thinking dumb stuff._

She snapped herself out of it. "How'd you meet him?"

"He was the other SOLDIER member who came to Nibelheim five years ago."

Alcie nodded, recalling the story Tifa told her the other night. "I get it. So wait, how _old _is he? If he was a First that long ago, wouldn't that make him, like, nearly thirty now?! Oh my Goddess, he doesn't look thirt—"

"—No, he's like, twenty-two."

"_Really_?!" She half-shrieked, jutting her head forward, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yeah, he made it to First Class at about seventeen or eighteen years old. I'm surprised you've never heard of him."

"Oh, hot _damn_, he doesn't mess around, does he?"

"You could say that. All the other First Class members are like, at least twenty-five."

"Wow, he must be good. But I guess all the guys in SOLDIER are."

"Yeah." She nodded and sat on a stool by the door. "That's why I'm so pleased for Cloud."

Alcie clambered off the bed groggily. "Huh? OH. I remember. The pretty blonde boy, right?"

Tifa diverted her eyes, allowing Alcie some privacy, after pointing at some clothes she lay out earlier. Alcie just darted around the room attempting to change, not really bothered by Tifa's presence at all.

"Yeah, the blonde one. It was his dream to join SOLDIER since we were kids, so I'm really happy for him."

"I bet." She shot Tifa a knowing look and snickered when she earned a scowl. "Look, we both know you like him."

Tifa sighed and looked down at her hands. "I suppose, maybe."

"What's you guys' story, anyway?" She asked, jumping into and tripping over a pair of white shorts. She added, "More training?"

"Yup and umm…well—"

BANG.

The large crash left an eighteen-year-old sprawled out on the floor.

"OW," she howled, rubbing her hip. "Sorry, sorry. Clumsy. Whoopsie."

Tifa face-palmed and resisted the urge to roll her eyes and laugh at her seemingly helpless friend. "We grew up next-door to each other but…we didn't have much to do with each other. When my Mom died, I went to Mt. Nibel. I was just seven."

Alcie nodded sympathetically. After all, she knew how it felt. She, too, was seven when she lost her own mother. Somehow, though, Alcie didn't think now was the time to tell her story, so she pursed her lips and remained quiet.

"I thought I might be able to see her if I went there but, anyway, Cloud followed me onto a bridge but I missed my footing and fell. He tried to catch me…but he ended up falling too." She narrowed her eyes infinitesimally and her voice slowed.

"After that, we never really talked. He used to get into fights all the time and stopped talking to people. But then, totally out of the blue when I was about thirteen, he called me out to the date place in town—the well. He told me he was leaving to join SOLDIER, so I made him promise me that if I were ever in trouble, he would come and save me. And I hadn't seen him since."

"Wow. That's kinda sweet though. It's a reunion of childhood pals!"

Tifa's voice lightened. "Yeah, I'm so, _so_ happy for him."

Alcie smiled and nodded. "What am I learning today then, _master_?" she mocked.

"Only everything. ShinRa Headquarters this weekend, right? Gotta prepare you for the trip!"

"Right!" She pumped the air with a fist excitedly. "Seriously though, how cool would it be to join SOLDIER? It would be the best job ever."

"They don't let girls join do they?"

"No… Why is that, anyway?" She pouted hard, before splitting her leg up in a kick. "Girls can kick just as much butt as guys!"

Tifa laughed. "I know, but, who knows why ShinRa does half of the things it does, anyway?"

"True."

ShinRa is not and probably never will be understandable to those that do not work with them—it made Alcie wonder how much trust they put on the First Class SOLDIER members. She wondered what secrets they knew and how ShinRa kept their mouths shut so well.

"…I wonder what they do to them…" Alcie muttered to herself, merely thinking aloud.

"Huh?"

"…? Oh, I was talking to myself, heh-heh…" She scratched the back of her head somewhat nervously. "I meant...I was just wondering what they…_do_ to SOLDIER members."

"Oh, yeah, I don't know. Some kind of surgery and injections. We know as much as Mako. But there must be more to it than that or they'd just give everyone Mako poisoning. I'm not even sure if the SOLDIER members themselves _really_ know what goes on."

That, however, wasn't quite what Alcie meant, but she seemed to be only half-listening anyway as she leaned back with her hands behind her head, swaying her upper body in small twists. "Wouldn't it be _cool_ though? Fighting for your country, your people. Serving a purpose and actually _doing_ something, _being_ someone. It'd be great, huh?"

"Sounds like someone has a pretty high goal—"

"Yeah…I know. I'm a girl, blah blah. But there must be _something_ I can do."

"We're headed for ShinRa anyway—I don't see any harm in you taking a nose around and bugging everyone by asking about job vacancies," she said, tongue in cheek. "Do they take female infantry…women?"

"Maybe…Yeah, you know what, I'll ask around."

"Right!" The long-haired brunette cheered. "Well then. In the meantime we have training to do!"

Alcie mock groaned loudly and slouched about.

"Come on! This is the military, soldier! No slackin'!"

* * *

**The Morning Of A Visit To ShinRa…**

Alcie woke from a seemingly dreamless sleep—a somewhat empty surprise, since over the past days she had dreamt about everything from fields of lavender to being pierced in the gut with a javelin. Who says if you die in a dream you die in real life?

So, for a change, she woke up feeling fairly refreshed. Usually she'd either get too little sleep and wake up groggy, or she'd get too much sleep and wake up, well, groggy. There was usually no happy medium.

Dark tresses hung over her face messily when she came around, inadvertently inhaling most of it when she yawned. And proceeded to promptly cough it out. She rolled off the bed onto her hands and knees, and stumbled over to the dresser in the room she'd been staying. She smiled upon pulling out her khaki cargo pants that she wore whilst on her trek to Midgar, now freshly stitched up and freshly washed. That reminded her she hadn't checked her wound for a while.

She threw the pants onto the bed, flopped down next to them and examined her leg. She traced the pale line down the back of her thigh with her finger. It still looked the same as it had the day after she did it, and she wondered if it would scar. She wasn't too worried about that, though. She had enough scars already, and that one would just add to her collection.

She found Tifa had left her a simple black t-shirt. It was kind of tight and came about an inch above the line of her cargo pants but it was alright. It would do.

_This barely fits me and my boobs are tiny compared to Tifa's. _She mused, studying the V-neck diligently. _If she wore this, I doubt it would cover her belly button._

When she brought that up to Tifa later that month, she explained she shrank it in the washing machine. But Tifa failed to mention that there was about a ninety per-cent chance that it used to belong to Zack. Until she shrank it, that is.

Today would be the first time she ever set foot in a ShinRa building and the prospect was both exciting and daunting for her. Today, she might be able to find out what she can do with her time. With her _life_, even. Of course, there was another reason why she was looking forward to going—

"Hey, Cee! You ready? 'Cause I am!"

Alcie spun her head towards the door, startled, before she smiled a goofy grin. She also strapped her knife and holster to her thigh. Curious, not to mention suspicious, but Tifa warned her they might encounter fiends on the way there, and she wasn't taking any chances. "Ready when you are!"

Tifa nodded and adjusted her leather mini-skirt which, to be fair, looked slightly uncomfortable. Her white tank top came just past her ribs, bearing her midriff, and her red-brown boot donned tough-looking steel plates lining the toes; designed for combat, for sure. Her hair hung in a long, loose pony, tied in what looked like a strip of red leather.

Genesis would be proud.

"Okay. The train leaves from the station and winds up Sector Zero, taking us above the Plate."

'The Plate' was what that huge pillar held up. In fact, there were eight pillars around, one in each of the pizza-like segments of the slums. Sector Zero itself was a pillar, sort of, holding up ShinRa Headquarters. The Plate divided the slums from the ShinRa, essentially, with most ShinRa employees living up there, including members of SOLDIER, ShinRa executives and infantrymen. And of course, the rich were able to live up there too. And if Tifa got the job training cadets, she'd be living up there too.

Tifa had explained to Alcie that lots of people in the slums hate ShinRa, because of how they live in comparison to those in the slums. She said that the people of the slums are divided amongst _themselves _too; there are those who despise ShinRa and those who completely idolise them.

It didn't take long to reach the Sector Seven station, a place that Alcie recognised. She also recognised the poor, irritable soul that stood on his lonesome, guarding the train.

She scratched her forehead and took another great look around, the scent of Mako flooding her nose, threatening to make her sneeze. She wrinkled up her nose in distaste and stared up at the gas-like fog she saw under the main lights of the slums.

"Is that Mako?"

"Huh?" Snatched from her thoughts, she needed a moment to register what Alcie said. "Oh, yeah, it's pollution. The density of Mako down here is pretty high and you can see it sometimes."

Alcie thought Tifa's words were strained, almost paining, but she didn't say anything. "It's giving me a headache; it's like paint fumes."

"I suppose it is…" She said dismissively before turning to the guard. "Two, please."

Without speaking, the man in red handed over two tickets to Tifa in exchange for a small lump of Gil. He said nothing, which didn't really surprise Alcie. While passing, she couldn't help but pull the most angelic of smiles at the man, who shifted uncomfortably. She snickered as she stepped on the train.

The martial artist watched Alcie amusedly as she became hyperaware of just about every noise and person on the train, taking in everything she could.

"Right, so, what's the plan?" She asked, grinning.

"We go to ShinRa Headquarters, and find Zack on the SOLDIER floor—"

"I like this plan."

"I bet you do." She snorted. "Anyway—"

"—Ah—that's not what I meant! I meant because of the SOLDIER Floor not because of—"

"—Uh-huh. Sure." She sounded rather unconvinced.

"_Yes_, sure!" She folded her arms and sulked, sending a mock glare at Tifa, who did no less than ignore it.

"After meeting with Zack, we will have to meet the Director of SOLDIER. Director Lazard."

"Director who?"

"Director Lazard. He runs SOLDIER. Delegating the SOLDIER members, assigning them missions, and such. He decides what's best for them in regards to their training and that."

"Okay, so, I guess he'll want to meet you and check you're up to the job."

"Yeah. After that, we can go find Aerith."

Alcie plopped down in a seat clumsily. "Sounds good to me. You nervous?"

"Sorta." She looked somewhat anxious, what with her irises darting around as they were.

The orange-eyed girl would have questioned her, had she not been thrown into a pole as the train shook violently. She winced and listened as the driver announced over the telecom, "Err, there was no damage to the train from that, err…minor vibration."

* * *

It was less than an hour before the train pulled up outside the famed Headquarters. Alcie stretched, cracking various bones around her body, before stumbling off the train.

_Wooow!_

Before her stood perhaps the largest building in the entire world, much larger than anyone had ever described. It dominated Midgar's skyline—of course, any less than absolutely brilliant and perfect would be criminal.

She stood wide-eyed and slack-jawed, catching flies for a good minute before Tifa laughed.

"You can tell you're not from here."

"Well, look at it, it's _huge_!" She marvelled, awe-struck. "How're we gonna find Zack in there?"

"He's waiting for us on the SOLDIER Floor, and with all that hair he should be pretty easy to spot anyway." She chuckled and headed off. "Let's go."

Alcie stumbled around, her eyes fixed on the skyline the entire time. She watched buildings far taller than she'd ever seen disappear and reappear as she walked. The city jumped and moved with people, full of noise, stores, and homes. It looked absolutely huge. Her orange eyes were painted with green and blue as the reflection from the surrounding Mako Reactors bounced into them.

And there it was. ShinRa Electric Power Company. The one and only. And this was it. Alcie felt excitement bubbling inside her like a kettle_. _

Tifa smiled. "Impressed?"

"_Yeah_!"

Inside, the first room appeared to be some kind of reception area. A huge one. Alcie whizzed her head around, searching for people, sounds, and everything there was to see. Two desk opposite the main entrance were manned by girls, answering phones and calling out over speakers—passing messages and summoning staff members.

People were milling around, wandering and dawdling, looking at posters and watching huge TVs, while others were dashing and weaving through crowds on a mission. She wondered how ShinRa could possibly be so secure, when people can walk in as they please—A noise made her jump.

"ShinRa Electric Power Company, Motor Mobiles. New Mako Engines for a better journey, buy yours today."

Eyes still darting, the girl caught sight of two glass elevators to their right next to a set of stairs. "So, stairs or elevator?"

"Well, unless you wanna climb forty-nine sets of stairs…elevator!"

"Oh wow, forty-nine floors?"

"Try seventy."

"_Seventy_?" She half-yelled, unaware of her volume.

"Yup, anyway, forty-nine's the SOLDIER Floor. And the Director's office is on Floor fifty-one."

"Okay…my Goddess." She bounded off into the elevator like a Jumping on drugs. "This is like, the single most _coolest_ thing I've ever done ever!"

"Calm it, girlie, or you'll get yourself a nickname—how do you think Zack felt when he realised he was never going to outgrow 'Puppy'?" She snorted and pushed a series of buttons on a control pad before the glass lift began to move.

"Yeah, but…that's a cute nickname…"

"Ohhh, look at you. You are so into that boy."

"Teeeef!" She whined and an inhuman pitch. Fearing she might shatter the glass, she stopped, and pouted profusely instead.

"Is it that hard to admit?"

She thought about this for a long moment. "There's no right answer, is there, Busty?"

Alcie squeezed through the doors the very second it opened wide enough and tore away like a bullet, fearing imminent death.

"Hey! Did you just call me Busty?" Tifa laughed, ready to kill the girl when she got her hands on her.

"Whatever! You still love me!" The girl cried childishly, poking her tongue out.

"Get back here, you!"

Alcie's eyes widened when she saw a brunette charging towards her, she spun on her heel a little too fast and took off, not noting where she was running. Slamming her into a wall.

The auburn-haired girl could just about hear her friend doubling over laughing as she recoiled and almost fell backwards. _Almost_. Thankfully the wall caught her.

Wait…_what_?

Of course, it was no wall—Alcie doesn't get that kind of good luck—it was none other than the famous (or infamous, depending on who you asked), Zack Fair. He had just managed to wrap an arm around her waist before she fell backwards.

"Right in the karma, Cee!" Tifa fairly screamed, although, Alcie could hardly hear her over the sound of blood rushing to her face and embarrassment digging a large hole for her to be pushed in and left to _die_.

No, wait. That would've been a good thing.

She gasped hard. Whether she gasped at the shock of impact or the shock of being held so _painstakingly_ close to Zack's body was unknown, although, it was probably a royal mixture of both. "I—I'm—"

"Sorry, it was my fault." His teasing grin was absolutely infuriating, since it made him at least eight thousand times more attractive than he already was.

_It was so _not_ your fault, you cheeky little—oh Goddess, look at us…!_

Her hands rested on his chest and their faces were no more than inches apart. She stood wide-eyed, like a Mu in headlights, staring into his…his perfect mix of the sky and lavender. _No, stop thinking like that! Agh!_

Her eyes wandered his face before she shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Tifa used the time to compose herself and revel in what she set up. Of course, Alcie had no idea, but all it took on Tifa's side was a little harmless manipulation. She smiled inwardly, silently basking in her victory. She was going to have much fun with this.

It was only then that Zack realised he hadn't released the girl, and yet he still didn't. His arms glowed in warmth that she provided, and he couldn't bring himself to let go. When his eyes flicked to her lips, as if by themselves, he briskly let go of her, and scratched the back of his head.

"Uh—uh, hiya! What brings you here?"

_Stupid. You know why they're here. _He scolded

"We came to see you," Tifa said calmly. Too calmly. _Slyly. _She smiled innocently at the pair as she walked past them, her grin turning more and more mischievous.

The Gil dropped in an instant, but before Alcie could open her mouth to lash a crafty comeback, a certain blonde interrupted her devious plans.

"Smooth," he said.

Alcie raised her eyebrows at the raven-haired boy and bit her lip impishly, which he found rather alluring. _Stop drawing attention to your lips! _He begged mentally. Yeah, okay. He was attracted to her, so what?

She stared into his eyes for just a second longer, and Zack was pretty sure he could even _see_ the cogs turning in her mischievous little mind. She was planning something. She grinned at him with an insolent grin that matched his own before diverting his gaze over to that blonde boy.

"Watch…" She murmured before patting Zack on the shoulder and brushing past him.

"Hey, Tifa." The blonde smiled slightly.

Alcie took that as a cue. Quicker than lightning the auburn-haired girl pulled out her closed survival knife and skidded it across the floor, tripping Tifa, sending her flailing into a pair of newly Mako-enhanced arms.

Cloud's to be precise.

"Hey, Clou—AHH!"

The most enormous grin stretched across Alcie's as she fought with herself in a brave attempt to stop herself fromdancing wildly in triumph.

"HA! 2-1, Busty!" She screamed, pointing a finger towards them.

Cloud couldn't help but let out a small laugh, his deep blue eyes staring into Tifa's red while he held her up in front of him. "Watch your step."

She blushed furiously, trying desperately to cling on to the remnants of her dignity, before regaining her balance. "Sorry…"

"What in Gaia is going on?" Zack asked. His head sat cocked to the side like a confused _puppy_. Alcie was really beginning to understand why people called him that. He broke out into a hearty laugh. "Did you call her Busty?"

"No, no, this is not catching on—"

"—It kinda is."

"No, no, it's fine really—"

"Would you prefer Buster? Or…?"

"I'm not a dog—Zack's the puppy—"

"Zack's Busty—NO! Shit. I meant Buster—"

"You think I'm busty, Cloud?" He asked, suppressing a laugh and choking in the process.

"N—No, no, Tifa's—"

"_TIFA_ is busty? _Cloud_! That's no way to describe a lady!"

"I didn't say that—"

"SPIKY HIT ON BUSTY!"

"I didn't mean—"

"What about your kids, Cloud? Think about the _Chocobos_!" Zack cried dramatically. "You can't go 'round cheating on your wife, Spiky!"

Alcie couldn't help but explode into fits of giggles. "Look, Tifa's face is beet red!"

Despite being spoken to—or laughed at, whatever—Tifa was more than a little distracted. Her face was now rather solemn. She had not taken her eyes off Cloud. Six years of feelings needed voicing, _now_. She had a mountain of questions to ask him, and a lot of catching up to do.

Alcie, in all her observational skill, didn't notice Tifa's change of face as she wiped her eyes and pressed her forehead into Zack's shoulder, laughing hard and clutching her stomach at something he said. Okay, maybe it's unfair to say she was being unobservant; she was just entirely swallowed up in a certain boy. Zack didn't notice either; he was too busy entertaining a hyperactive eighteen-year-old. But Cloud? Cloud saw.

"What's wrong?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words would suffice for exactly what she meant. "I…missed you."

His cerulean eyes widened. She missed him? How? _Why_? He thought that she'd surely forgotten all about him in the past few years—funny that, seeing as he left for exactly the reason of _not_ being forgotten. He wanted to join SOLDIER so Tifa would notice him, but he only just made it, on his second try. How could she have missed him? How did she even remember his name?

"I missed you too, Tifa…"

The brunette glanced over her shoulder to the First Class SOLDIER and the auburn-haired girl and smiled slightly before turning back to Cloud. "Could we, um…go and get some coffee or something? There's so much I want to tell you."

He looked at her for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."

"Um. Guys?" Tifa turned and looked at Alcie and Zack, overly hyped-up freaks getting drunk over each other's zest for life. "Guys?"

"Ahahaha…ha…hahahaha!"

"I don't speak that yet." Tifa looked at Cloud blankly and shook her head. She picked up Alcie's knife before throwing it at her. Luckily for her, it was closed. "HEY, CEE!"

"Haaaanghhhh! Wha—hahahat?" She guffawed, trying her hardest to form coherent sentences. And failing. Grossly. Zack caught her knife and studied it.

"Do you mind if we go get some—"

"—You guys go ahead." She smiled knowingly and lifted her head off Zack's shoulder, finally able to hold her own weight. "Say no more. I'll find my way around."

"Thanks."

"Oh, yeah. Teef?" Zack began, opening and closing Alcie's knife absent-mindedly. "In case you don't getback in time, your meeting is scheduled for twelve-hundred hou—uh. Twelve o' clock, got it?"

"Uh, yeah, what time is it now?"

"Almost ten," Alcie concluded.

"Okay, Cee, meet me on the fifty first floor then at…say, eleven-fifty-ish? Other than that I'll come find you."

"That's fine," she assured.

Alcie knew this was important to Tifa. They needed to talk, and Alcie understood that. She saw just how Cloud's eyes lit up in the bar just the other day. You don't look like that when you run into any old friend, no. There was something else there. Alcie doubted that Cloud even knew Tifa was in Midgar at all. He must've been so surprised to see her again. They hadn't had much time in the bar, so the least Alcie could do was give them these few hours.

"Have fun, you two." She smiled.

"And you."

And with that, Tifa walked off with the genetically enhanced chocobo, and Alcie listened as their voices trailed off. She spun on her heel to find a familiar puppy leaning against the wall. He was still flicking Alcie's knife open and closed repeatedly, as if totally fascinated by it. Alcie didn't understand why, he must've seen plenty of blades before, and this was just a fairly simple, if wide, switchblade.

While he was distracted, she became so, too. She found herself smiling as she looked at him. He was quite tall, standing at about 6'1". He was wearing a standard First Class SOLDIER uniform, consisting of a thick, black turtle-neck shirt without sleeves, that hugged his chest somewhat tightly, and black, ShinRa combat pants. He donned the classic SOLDIER emblem on his thick belt, which was also attached to a set of leather straps leading to a sword holster on his back. Well, it was more of a hugely powerful magnet than a holster. A good design idea, really. He was wearing shoulder guards, leather gloves and standard SOLDIER boots to complete.

_That suits him! _She scratched her head and smiled. _I wonder if being super attractive is a requirement for SOLDIER?_

He looked up at her, and the ghost of a smile crept onto his lips.

"So what's a pretty girl like you doing with a knife like this?"

"What? A pretty girl can't have a knife?" She countered evasively. She could've told him why her brother bought it for her. She decided not. Definitely.

He grinned at her fire and passed it to her. "Clearly they can."

"So, um…are you free for a while or do you have SOLDIER duties to attend to?"

"I have paperwork." Did he say that just to see her response? Yes. He smiled when she frowned. "Which means I'm free."

"Are you sure?" She asked, inadequately stifling a grin.

"Yeah!" He affirmed. "Pffff, I never do my paperwork."

"Don't they get mad at you?"

He laughed. "Who? My superiors? Ah-haha! 'Geal loves me too much to get mad at me and Sephiroth doesn't care what the hell I do as long as I'm out of his hair."

Alcie chuckled lightly and smiled, and suddenly Zack felt compelled to keep her smiling. He went on, "No, like, literally. This one time, I cut like, a _slither_ off for a laugh, and dear Goddess almighty I have neverbeensoscaredinmyentirelife and I don't think I ever will be again."

"What did he do to you?" She snorted.

"…He hung me on the wall with his sword and tortured me for hours. I actually thought he was gonna kill me. Like, his eyes get all narrow and he holds knives to your throat and, oh Minerva, it was the worst three days of my life."

"Three days?! I bet you never did that again."

"Oh no, I did. He just doesn't know it yet. Last time I did it, I sold the hair to a crazy girl in his fan-club and made 5000 gil."

"Get out." She half-yelled in disbelief and fair awe.

"Oh no, I'm serious. They're _weird_. Like, really. But, you know. _Gil._"

Alcie laughed. It was so nice talking to him, and she wasn't nervous or awkward at all. She was, quite simply, enjoying his company. He was so…carefree and blissful. Light-hearted. And _fun_. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this well in herself since she came to Midgar. And it was all because of this one young man. She found herself wishing her brother was here too.

There was the guilt again.

_No…not now…_

"Are you okay?"

Her eyes shot up. To her surprise, Zack was no longer leaning against the wall, but rather stood right by her, with an arm hovering behind her back.

"Um. Yeah. Why?"

"You're making that face again." When met by a puzzled expression, he continued. "The same face you made when you passed out the other day..."

She muffled a gasp in her throat when he dropped his hand onto her lower back.

_He was…going to hold me up?_

She smiled at his gesture. "No, I'm okay. That reminds me though; I didn't get to thank you for what you did for me that night. Tifa told me what you did for me and as it stands, you were quite the gentleman, so." She looked at him and cocked her head to the side, smiling. "Thank you."

He shuffled fairly awkwardly, waving a hand in front of his face dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. By the way, is being super attractive a requirement for barmaids?"

Her eyes widened as the gil dropped. "I did _not_…"

"Yes, you did." Oh, she was living to regret her absent-mindedness, alright. He smirked widely, mischievously, cheekily. "And I'm _flattered_."

"Oh my Goddess." She tried to hide her embarrassment, but as Zack smiled at her, she couldn't help but return it.

"So, anywhere you want to go?"

"Hmmm…" She pulled a face in thought. "Oh, actually. Yes. Do you know where I could find an Aerith?"

"Aerith Gainsborough?" He looked somewhat distracted. "You know Aerith?"

"Well, no." She shook her head. "Tifa told me to find her so I could ask her a few questions I have."

"Uh, yeah. I can find her for you, no problem!" He led Alcie towards the elevator. "She's…usually on the sixty-seventh floor…" He paused.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, uh. It's nothing. You need a key-card to access floors above fifty-nine."

Alcie open her mouth to form an 'o'.

"Luckily for you, I have a key-card." He chuckled.

Once up, Zack hunted down a certain brunette. She was a pretty girl, with vibrant green eyes—but they weren't like the Mako green you can see in some SOLDIER operatives, they were a pure green, a gentle green, like fresh mint and cut grass green. She wore a long pink dress with a matching ribbon in her hair and was sat alone in some kind of waiting room.

She smiled when Zack entered the room. "Hey, Zack. How can I help you?"

"Hey, Aerith, this is Alcie Lenna, Tifa sent her to come speak to you…?" He started, confused, not knowing the full story.

"Another girlfriend of yours, Zack?" She didn't say it maliciously, in fact she was smiling, but Zack still took and over-dramatic step back. She continued before he could say anything. "Okay, I've been expecting you, Alcie."

Alcie's eyes widened. _How? What?_

"Could you give us a minute, Zack?" The girl in pink asked.

"Uh, yeah. No problem!" He smiled at Alcie and jerked his thumb to the door before leaving.

She watched him go before turning to Aerith. "You've…been expecting me?"

"Yes."

Alcie plopped down on a chair. "How did you—?"

"—I speak with the Planet. I'm an Ancient, Alcie, and I was made aware that you were seeking help."

"Umm…Yeah. I was hoping I might be able to ask you some questions."

"Of course." The Ancient smiled warmly. She was sort of motherly, but very young. Probably only about twenty-one.

"I…I came to Midgar by accident." She started.

_No use lying to her, she probably already knows._

"I was—I _thought_ I was hit by a truck and I got…transported here. When I was unconscious, I swear I was talking to the Goddess!"

Aerith nodded. "Don't worry, you're not going mad. Sometimes, yes, the Goddess communicates with her people. She is…related to the Planets consciousness, the Lifestream. She follows the intentions of it—acts on its judgements. How many times have you spoken with her?"

"Twice. Well, I guess, three times, but once I was awake and she couldn't get through to me or something, like, no signal." She said dryly. "Anyway, then I passed out like ten minutes later and she spoke to me then."

"What did she say?"

"She told me there were people that needed protecting and things I needed to learn. And that she knocked me out, essentially."

Aerith laughed. "Yes, those whose wills are strong or whom are not in tune with Gaia cannot communicate whilst conscious. You are the former, as you are not an Ancient."

"So, you mean, you get to talk to her without passing out? _Lucky_." She scoffed, throwing her hands in the air in mock dismay.

"Yes. There is one more way to speak with her whilst conscious, and that is to open your mind to her."

"…She…I remember her telling me to open my mind."

"Yeah. There anything else I can help you with?"

"What did she mean by…me _needing_ to come to Midgar, _needing_ to learn things, _needing_ people to be protected?"

"…I…cannot say."

"Oh." Her gaze fell to her hands. "Okay. Well, I think that's it… Thank you, Aerith, it was nice to meet you."

"And you too, good luck and come see me any time you need to talk, okay? I'm always here somewhere and I never leave Midgar," she said, smiling.

"Thanks."

Alcie stepped outside the door and stretched, yawning wildly until she was interrupted.

"Hey."

"Hi." She smiled. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"Don't mention it." The raven-haired boy beamed back at her. "Find out what you wanted to know?"

"Sorta. I know I'm not crazy now." He shot her an unconvinced look, remembering their laughing fits and sprawls not even an hour ago. She raised her hands to surrender. "Okay, okay. Not _too_ crazy. Better?"

"Better." He laughed pushed a few buttons to call for an elevator.

"What time is it?" She asked, bright eyes gazing into his.

"Um…ten hundred—Gah, damn it, _stupid military_. About ten-fifty." He balled a fist in his frustrations.

"Sir, yes sir!" She mocked and saluted, smiling like an idiot.

"C'mon, you, let's go and…well…I don't know, eat or something."

"The way to my heart _is_ through my stomach, you know," she teased, biting her lip.

"Oh, I wasn't try to hit—I mean, it's not that I don't—I—"

Her giggles interrupted him. "I'm just kidding, calm down."

She placed a hand on his arm as she stepped past him and into the elevator. Little did she know that her touch left Zack's skin tingling, her fingers gentle on his strong arms. What on Gaia was she doing to him?

"Awww…this elevator isn't glass!" She whined, pouting profoundly and childishly.

Zack was fairly quiet, well, he was silent, trying to form his thoughts into an orderly line. Which wasn't working. When he looked at her, his thoughts would clear, and his mind would be straight. But as soon as he looked away, he became confused, really confused, with an ache in his chest.

Alcie seemed to not notice, instead her eyes danced around the room, bouncing off the walls and Zack's body, the buttons and Zack's face, her feet and the red floor numbers above the door.

_Man, this elevator is _way_ slower than the other one… _She thought, impatiently. She folded her arms and tapped her foot on the ground.

_56…55…54… _

"I could've walked faster than this."

_53…52…51…50…49…_

Zack sighed loudly, distractedly, grabbing Alcie's attention. "Everything okay?" She asked quietly.

"Huh? Oh, what? Sorry, I was miles away," he apologised, studying her face. He opened his mouth to say something when suddenly—

A large BANG and the elevator stopped dead. Lights flickered off.

The pair darted their eyes around the room through darkness before meeting each other's eyes again.

"Zack! What's going on?!" She half-yelled somewhat tensely, placing a hand on his forearm.

Silence.

Zack swam in orange eyes for seven long seconds, and swallowed hard, lips parted before both of them shot their eyes up to a now flashing red light—the only light on in the lift now.

An alarm. A deafening alarm.

Alcie shot her eyes back to Zack's face, hoping for an affirmation, her eyes wide, heart pounding.

"…_Shit_."

* * *

**A/N: …Did you enjoy my chapter of filling? And cliffhanger-ing? And insanity? And Final Fantasy VIII referencing? I'd love to hear your thoughts!**


	6. Seeing Demons

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: Alright! I'm back with a new chapter **_**already**_**. Quite exciting, is this one. A few characters will come off standby for this chapter as they rear their heads again—we've all been partying. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed writing this; I hope you enjoy reading it even more! – Fearlessed x**

**Disclaimer: **I can't even have Zack. Rub it in why don't you.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Seeing Demons**

"…_Shit_."

"_Zack_," her grip on his forearm tightened, bringing his eyes back to hers, "what's happening?" her voice crumbling.

Searching for the right words, his brows furrowed, his gaze once again moving towards the floor, "Zack! Look at me!" She half-yelled, uneasiness rearing its ugly head as she shook his arm.

"…We have to get out of here," She jutted her head forward, willing him to elaborate, eyes wide. He swallowed hard, "We're under attack."

The auburn-haired girl's jaw dropped, she was sure it would've hit the ground had she not spoken, "An attack? On ShinRa?!"

"_This is ShinRa. All citizens are to evacuate immediately. Military personnel infantry units one through eight are to help the evacuation process. Angeal Hewley is to lead the Third Class SOLDIER members into battle on the first and second floors alongside the remaining infantry units. Genesis Rhapsodos, report to the fifty-eighth floor leading and stationing Second Class SOLDIER members. Sephiroth to President. Zack Fair make way to first floor. All other First Class members help where help is needed. I repeat. This is ShinRa—"_

"Sounds like my cue," he mumbled, shaking his head.

"Not until we get out of here it's not!" She flitted her eyes around, searching for a hatch or a panel or _something_. _There's _gotta_ be an emergency escape. Why is it so damned _dark_? _Their only light source was fairly small in a metal cage. She studied the control panel, pushing random buttons, searching for an '_eject' _button or something. Of course, this was ShinRa, and that would be too easy.

"Right…" He diverted his gaze to the door—sealed shut, "there's gotta be a way out somehow."

"Maybe we're safer in here…" She muttered to herself, not so wryly. But the boy didn't seem to notice. He ran his finger down the split between double doors before placing his hands between a slight gap, "...you're not actu—"

Her eyes widened in disbelief as he began pulling open the door, his facial expression straining. The girl couldn't believe it, _damn, that's impressive_. She shook the daze out of her head when Zack asked her if she could get out, "there's a wall there, we're in-between floors."

"Typical," he chided, pain begin to claw into his muscles as he held open the door.

"Wait, I'll climb out—"

"—Are you _serious_?! It's too dangerous—!"

"—What else are we supposed to do? Wait here while people die out there?! C'mon!"

"Be careful!" He cried, fear ripping through his voice, as she walked to the edge of the platform, staring into the black of what could possibly be forty storeys high, "You fall and you'll _die_, Alcie!"

"I know…" She nodded at the boy, staring into his perfectly clear eyes, trusting him to continue his hold just a little longer, and wishing him to trust her too. _Look at him...oh, this is dreadful._ She swallowed hard before leaning out of the door, searching for a ladder or a foot hold. Nothing. A sheer drop. She cursed silently. She turned back to face Zack before jumping no higher than a foot or so, to catch the roof of the lift. Hanging there then, she realised quite how crazy this was, _well…don't look down now. _Zack's eyes widened, he was just so _powerless_ and he wasn't used to the feeling, after all, he was in SOLDIER. SOLDIER members can do everything and can rely on no one but themselves if they choose to, but while he might have abnormal speeds and incredibly strong bones, they weren't steel and he was still human. If he moved to catch her, he would be crushed between the doors, and if he let go to boost her up, her legs would be crushed by the unstoppable force of the heavy metal doors closing. He could only hope that she knew what she was doing.

Obviously she didn't. She never thought anything through. But she knew what she _had_ to do and that was good enough for her. _Pull it together, Alcie_. She could feel her fingers slipping, or maybe tearing off, she wasn't entirely sure which, so she shimmied herself over a foot or so, getting a better grip, her feet now on the door that was still closed and allowing Zack to shut the door he was holding. He didn't. He watched. Too frightened to close his sight on the girl. If she fell now and the door was closed, he would never forgive himself, because he would know he would be sat there even more powerless than he was now—letting her down.

"You can do this…" He encouraged, earning a nod, although he couldn't see her face. Which was just as well as the fright riddled in her burnt orange eyes would have haunted his dreams for years. She swallowed hard, before pushing with her feet. The grip she had was small, but enough for her to grab a lip in the cold metal frame. Her fingers felt ready to snap, but adrenaline surged her on, pushing the door with her feet, slipping and failing, her chest colliding with the hanging box, her breath catching in her throat. When she was finally able to get enough of a grip on the door, purely friction, she pushed herself up slightly enabling her to edge her other hand toward a pipe on the roof. Securing her grasp, she pulled her weight up, her chin levelling the platform she was trying so hard to stand on. She reached with her gloved, right hand for another lip in the metal, giving her elbow a rest on the roof and allowing her other to follow suit. Her chest was pressed against the cold edge; her heart beating so wildly she thought even Zack must've been able to hear it. He could. But only when he strained his SOLDIER enhanced hearing.

A loud, painful sounding groan escaped her lips and tore through the air, echoing around them, as she lunged for another pipe slightly out of her reach. Her fingers only brushed it, but she couldn't form a grasp, her grip slipping sending her body falling.

She screamed a blood-curdling scream. A scream that _did_ haunt Zack's dreams that very night, "SHIT," she cursed loudly, swaying, holding on by one hand, back where she started, minus a grip, "…Pardon my Wutaian," she mumbled.

Zack's breaths choked his lungs as he felt his throat tighten, his heart pounding just as hard Alcie's, if not, _harder_. The red glare of the elevator warning highlighted his sweating forehead, the blearing alarm making his head bang faster. Unable to speak. Unable to think. Unable to breathe. Eyes brimming—

The girl swung her arm up and caught back on the pipe_. Take two in our dangerous game_, she thought. This time, she decided to reach for something a little closer, albeit further out to her left. She shifted her weight so her leather, boot-covered shins were gripping the door on friction alone, her right hand solid on a pipe. A loud grunt ripped through her mouth as she leant for what looked like a handle, her face red and straining.

"_Got it_!"

The edge of the lift dug into her stomach just below her ribs, obscuring her breathing. Using all the strength she could muster, her forehead sweating, she pulled the remainder of her weight onto the roof and rolled over with a thump, sighing, "_Holy_—"

At the sound of her voice, relief cascaded through the twenty-two-year-olds body. Air flooded his lungs once again, inhaling and holding for a few seconds—his eyes firmly closed—before exhaling, _Thank the Goddess._

"Are you okay?" He exclaimed, attempting to mask the shakiness under his tone. He still hadn't shut that damned door yet. He wasn't going to either, not until they were out of here. He'd completely forgotten about the strain in his body—or maybe he hadn't _forgotten_—there were just more important things at stake.

"I—I'm fine," she called back, breathlessly, "Oh dearest Shiva…"

Dragging herself onto all fours, she leaned her head over the edge just enough to view the elevator shaft. There was room for two, side-by-side, and maybe two more behind them, although, it was just an empty gap for now. The sound of that blasted alarm rang and echoed throughout the vertical tunnel. She couldn't see the bottom. She'd be dead before she hit the ground if she fell, she knew. The orange-eyed girl took a deep breath before shakily standing up, "No time to be…scared of heights now," she chuckled somewhat, expression void in her laugh. Right. Now. She scoured the roof searching for the emergency escape.

"…Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you see any…kind of emergency escape or a…I don't know, some kind of…panel that can be pushed through? I can't really…see anything."

"Uh…" Doing as he was asked, his eyes ran through the small room, "There some kind of panel in the ceiling in the, uh, upper left corner, virtually right across from me. There's no handle though."

She furrowed her eyebrows, and still breathless complained, "What kind of…emergency escape is that?! Who is…eight foot tall and able to pull themselves up so high?"

"Well…you just did, in a kind of…_unorthodox_ way."

"You're not kidding…you know what I mean though, normal people can't pry open doors. What if it was one of us alone, we wouldn't be able to get out," she whined, cursing the ShinRa for making everything SOLDIER proof so that, in times like this, the enemy would be frozen. They seemed to forget their own employees. _Wait_…_handle_, _he said…handle…yeah_! Her eyes widened as she searched for the handle she pulled herself up on, "I think I found it!"

Sliding to her knees, she positioned herself in such a way that she wouldn't fall off. With any luck. She wrapped her hands around the handgrip. _1…2…3! _She pulled as hard as she could, but the damned thing wasn't budging so easily, "Why is nothing ever easy here?! Nnnagh!" she shrieked, ready to cry in frustration and…maybe something else too. It gave just slightly, _nearly there_, she thought. Zack sent his gaze upwards. A crack was beginning to appear around the panel.

"Keep going, Alcie! You've got this!"

"To _hell_ have I 'got this'!" She grunted, pulling, "I'm no SOLDIER Operative, Mister!"

Guilt panged in the boy's chest and voice, maybe she thought he was powerless and useless too. His eyes fell to his feet, "I'm sorry I can't help you…"

"Nnnnngggh, don't be silly…" Eyes welling up, "I didn't mmm-mean it like that. Just a bit mmm-ore! AH!"

With a final sharp tug, the panel came away. Zack's lilac eyes met Alcie's orange as she smiled triumphantly, reaching a hand in for the boy, who smiled madly and reached to take it, the door slamming shut with such force, the elevator shook. He swallowed hard, knowing what that could've meant. He jumped, her hand in his, and reached for the opening with his free hand, Alcie supplying him with that extra lift, never letting go. Before long, Zack scrambled out of the hole, breathing hard. The pair sat there for a few seconds, staring into each other's eyes, their hands still connected. She tilted her head to the side, her lips parted, some form of sadness poisoning her face, tears becoming all the more real. _What's…wrong? _He thought to himself. He gazed into her, her sadness plaguing his features too before she threw herself into him, much to his surprise. The girl buried her head into his neck and sat on his lap, hugging him tightly. Her eyes welled up further and spilled onto his chest. He gasped, his eyes wide in surprise, before settling and hugging her back, resting a hand on her head. He didn't know why he did—it just felt right. He stroked her hair gently, suddenly feeling the need to voice his own feelings.

"I thought…you were gonna die…for a minute there…" He said, tightening his embrace slightly, closing his eyes.

"…Me too…" she whispered, snivelling, adrenaline settling, reality returning, heart still beating manically. She sighed loudly. Closing her eyes.

They stayed like that for a good few minutes, enjoying each other's company, seeking solace within each other, away from the chaos and disorder that was unravelling on the other side of the shaft. Settling each other's minds. She opened her eyes slowly, heart still beating madly. She slid her hands back over his shoulders and lay them there as she pulled away lightly, his fingers now by her jawline.

Her eyes were lined with tears and passion as she wandered into the fields of perfect lavender and blue skies, her head tilting and lips parted, faces inches away, "…Don't cry," he whispered softly. The boy stretched his fingers towards her neck and pulled her in gently, brushing his lips against hers, softly, smoothly, eyes closed. The girl's cheeks flushed, eyes closing again, relaxing into his lips. Her hands found their way to his neck, fingers playing with his hair, burning his skin with her touch.

The boy pulled back, her breath filling his lungs. If this had to be heaven or hell, it was definitely heaven. She shook her head lightly before moving back into him, finding his lips again, fuelled by the warmth of his body. He smiled into her and lifted her body closer to him, one hand resting on her lower back, the other still holding her face. _Definitely_ heaven.

Orange eyes teemed with emotion as tears fell upon her cheeks, her sobs silent, not interrupting their kiss. It was as though…she had been hit in the face with years of built up emotion. A kind of feeling she had never known existed…not love, that's not what she meant…it was unexplainable, yet that didn't make it any less real. _Do you feel it too?_ She wondered. But…this was just Alcie. Her own feelings, her own emotions, her vulnerability and her fears, all rolled into one. And she realised then, that Zack was holding them all for her, lifting her burdens, right now in this moment, stopping her from falling and crashing down. There was nothing standing in her way, right now. She was just her and he was just him. And they were just together.

She pulled away and bit her lip, never one to enjoy crying in front of people she cares about. She avoided his gaze, but he understood somehow. The boy simply pulled off his glove and ran his fingers down the trails of lost cries, wiping her face free of those few pains that bound her. His touch brought her eyes to his once more, her smile consenting to another kiss. He shifted their weight and stood on his knees, holding her face with both hands, brushing their lips together once again. The taste of the passion brimming on the auburn-haired girl's lips overwhelmed him. Pulling away that final time, the sense of urgency returned to him, the alarm began sounding again, the red lights began flashing again, and time started moving again.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she wiped her eyes down again, smiling a small smile, but still a very genuine one, at the First Class SOLDIER Operative. He returned a rather sad looking one but Alcie had no chance to question it when they were interrupted—

"_This is ShinRa, all citizens evacuated—"_

"Hello, still here—"She sniffed, dryly, waving an arm, still rather shaken.

"—_Enemy threat Level Two conditions met, that's Level Two conditions met. Sephiroth to remain with President. Second Class SOLDIER members to remain between floors Forty-Nine and Sixty-Eight. Do not allow the enemy to pass. Thirds and Infantrymen hold ground. Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley to lead. Zack Fair to exit. I repeat, Enemy threat Level Two conditions me—"_

"…What does that mean?"

"…It means it's getting worse…We have to get out of here… "

"…_Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley to lead. Zack Fair to exit."_

"Okay, let's go," she nodded, swallowing hard, kicking herself into action-mode. _Time to be strong again._

"Right…" He began, swaying around in search of an exit, "What if I held open that floor's door for yo—"

"Are you in_sane_? You wouldn't be able to support yourself, there's like two inches room there, you can't stand on that!" She dictated rather worriedly, pointing towards the ledge four feet above their heads, "We have to find another way."

The boy nodded silently. Today was such a _weird_ day. She ran into him this morning, he remembered, totally embarrassed. She was laughing with him, as though they'd known each other for years. She asked for his company while her friend left. She touched him with more closeness than what he thought was possible. She showed impatience followed by complete bravery, risking her life. She showed irritation and triumph. Then…he kissed her, and she was so calm, so gentle. Her tears then burst through, showing her vulnerability, and now, she was back to herself again, strong, as if nothing happened at all. It's not a wonder why she'd cried, she was having a tough time, and he didn't know why. He didn't know her story—he didn't know anything about her. But he liked her. He liked her a lot. And he wanted to help her. Her voice snapped him out of his daze.

"What about there? What's that?" She asked, squinting, motioning towards some kind of vent a few floors worth up.

Zack followed her finger, standing up, his Mako enhanced sight much better at picking up light in darker areas, "It's an air duct."

"Nooo…it's our only ticket out of here, you know, well…unless you fancy jumping," she scoffed, raising her eyebrows.

His facial expression declared not, "Well then, let's go," she began, as she accepted the boy's hand which he held out for her. She carefully walked to the edge of the frozen elevator, and looked directly down into the pit which housed the other lift. She couldn't see it but assumed that wherever it was, it was frozen too. She hoped so anyway, it would cut the size of her chances of dying considerably. Up and down the shaft, between where the two lifts would glide, lay large, metal support beams that each connected from one wall to the next, they were approximately thirty feet long, which the auburn-haired thought was odd seeing as that left a large excess of about twenty feet behind where the elevator hung. _Why is it so large?_ Each support was only about a foot wide and were each about two or three floors apart from the next. Looked pretty stable.

The nearest one was only about three or four feet above Alcie's head but was about ten or so to the right of the elevator. She could never make that jump, so what _could_ she do? Zack must have seen her calculating a plan and acted first, "Wait a sec," he began, taking a few steps back.

"You're not _actually_ going to risk jumping, are you?"

"Mhmm."

"You _can't_!" But it was too late. The twenty-two year old sprung off his feet like a cat and reached his arms out to grab to ledge. She gasped. The boy pulled himself up with ease. She blinked at him in disbelief, her mouth fallen open. She clearly underestimated the boy's capabilities, but he was confident in his SOLDIER strengths.

"Jump," he said, calmly, nodding lightly, kneeling down and holding an arm out for her.

She opened her mouth to protest but closed it again; she wanted to tell him she was going to die. If she jumped—she would fall. She was no SOLDIER member, let alone a First Class one. But she didn't. She just gazed into his eyes for a few seconds, searching for something. The girl blinked slowly, confirming her decision, which was to trust him. She wanted to trust him, so she would. She took a few steps back, and nodded, not taking her eyes off his before charging for him, springing off her feet, and reaching an arm out for him.

Just as she began to sink and fall, his hand slipped into hers, strongly, _easily_. _Oh_, the adrenaline. Her breath stopped and her heart raced as she dangled. She looked up to find a puppy smiling at her, _you. _She smiled back and reached her arm up for the support where Zack lifted her to her feet.

"Anything you _can't_ do?"

"Mmmm, _nah_," he chuckled, the girl blissfully unaware of certain drawbacks.

She laughed and slowly took a few steps away from him, making her way towards the back end of the shaft, "There's a ladder over there, we can use that to get up a few floors to another support, I think," she explained, the alarm beginning to give her a headache.

"Right," as she turned away, she began taking small steps towards the ladder. She felt Zack's hand slip into hers from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at him, "I—I don't want you to fall," he explained, somewhat worriedly. Alcie smiled in response, squeezing his hand and heading forward, quicker than before, "You know," he began, a familiar cheekiness returning to his voice, "I meant what I said earlier, when I said you were attractive—"

"—You're gonna do this _now_?" She scoffed, "Where's your urgency, super SOLDIER?!"

"Sorry, sorry!" He fairly guffawed, raising his free hand in half of the surrender motion. He just wanted to spend these last few minutes of safety (safety being the wrong word when you're one foot-out-of-place away from falling straight into hell,) _happiness _and carefree, enjoying the girl's company. Who knew what could happen when they got out of here? For all _he_ knew, there was as much chance of them dying out there as there was in the elevator shaft. In fact, perhaps even more.

She drew near the ladder and kicked one of the footholds, testing its strength, the whole thing rattling violently, "Right then, safe as it'll ever be."

The eighteen-year-old pulled herself onto the ladder anyway and began her climb, keeping an eye on that vent—the last thing she wanted to do was go straight past it, she wanted to get off this thing as soon as possible.

"Alcie! Hold on!" Zack yelled to her.

Before she had time to think or protest, the elevator that belonged on the other side came crashing down from Goddess-knows-what floor, gaining speed, faster and faster, creating a hell of a screech. It whizzed past them, disturbing everything around them, including the ladder they were hanging off, threatening to rip it from its rusty hinges, "I hope no one was in that—" She mumbled in response to the monstrous crash.

Then suddenly the other elevator fell, "…We were…" he finished.

An enormous roar pierced the air, even louder than the screeching, the alarms ringing and the crash.

"What in Hades was _that_?!" The girl cried.

"That…was probably what broke the elevators… Hurry, let's get out of here," the girl made some kind of noise in response, working her way up to the support on the same floor as the vent. She hopped off the ladder and onto the structure, holding a hand out to Zack, smiling.

He didn't let go when he landed, instead, he held it tighter as she led the way to the other side, full trust in the boy keeping his hold on her if she fell. Reaching the other side, they found that the vent was a good five feet away, with some wooden scaffolding leading to it, "Well this looks safe," she said dryly.

"I'll go first—"

"No offence, Zack, but you're kindasortaheavierthanme. Won't it be safer if I go first?"

"But what if it breaks, you'll—"

"—Die, I know. But if you go first, the same thing would happen to you—you'd die too."

"Yeah, I know but I'd rather I die than—"

"—My life is no more precious than yours, Zack."

His brow furrowed, somewhat puzzled by her unexpected answer, "And even still, in this situation, your presence would be more valuable to those on the other side of this here wall," she said, knocking it with her knuckle, "You're _Zack_, SOLDIER First Class, and I'm pretty sure that you can save more people than I could in the same circumstance. Meaning if _you_ die, more people out _there_ will die than if _I_ die, _you get it_?! Whyareweevenhavingthisdiscus sion?" She exclaimed, flying her arms in exasperation.

"But—"

"_ZACK_ _FAIR_, I AM GOING FIRST! Do you hear me?!"

The boy couldn't help but smile at her persistence, "I _thought_ you had a stubborn jaw."

She laughed, "I do, indeed," slowly stepping onto the makeshift scaffolding. She pulled off the vent from the duct and dove in when she felt the wood shaking beneath her feet. Zack gasped loudly—

"_See_?" She shrilled, poking her head out of the duct, "If that was y—you…you'd—!"

"I'm sorry. You were right," he said solemnly, nodding his head, his mind playing through what would've happened if either, a, he had gone instead or, b, she had stayed on that platform just a beat longer.

"My turn," she announced, smiling, holding a hand out. He swallowed hard as if considering his options, "It's okay."

The sound of her voice took his attention. He nodded. Four steps back, a run and jump. Actually, he'd have probably made it there without her catching his wrist, as his other hand had managed to catch the lip of the duct, but she caught him all the same, "See?" she smiled.

* * *

"Okay, so, what floor is this, Zack?" She asked, crawling through the twists and turns of the air duct, looking through the gaps in the vents.

"Errr… Thirty Two."

"…Everything looks normal," she concluded, "except maybe all the bright red lights, that's probably not an everyday occurrence but still, you know what I mean."

"Hmmm. Hey, Alcie, wait, there's a vent here, we can get out," He watched in mild amusement as she struggled to turn herself around to face him in the air duct that wasn't much wider than Zack's shoulders.

"…You can call me 'Cee', you know," she smiled looking into his eyes, smoothing her shirt back down as it had ridden around her stomach.

He flashed her a white smile before he pulled the grill up and put it aside, "Ladies first."

"Off you go then," she scoffed.

The boy chortled, slipping through the hole, landing with a small thud. Alcie followed suit, with a fair amount less grace, landing on a foot and a knee, but stumbling backwards when she rose, "Close enough," she shrugged.

"_This is ShinRa. Enemy threat Level Two. Enemy identified as Wutaia forces. Second Class SOLDIER members whose battalion ends in an even number report to Genesis Rhapsodos on Floors one to three. Zack Fair to exit, I repeat, Zack Fair to exit!"_

"Where's the exit?"

"I guess they mean the back of the first floor."

"Let's go," The girl followed Zack out of the office they landed in and stopped when she saw him headed for the elevators, "You're not serious, are you?"

He pulled a face out of bemusement until the gil dropped, "Oh shit, right, yeah. _Stairs_!"

She tore off after him, struggling to keep up with his SOLDIER speed, soaring down flights of stairs one after another, 27…26…25….24….

"I…think I would've…rather taken the…death-trap down…"

"C'moon, it's not that bad!"

"Uhh… hello?! Big-time…SOLDIER! I'm just a…lowly mortal, you…!"

"I'm not listening!" He guffawed. 19…18…17…16…15…

"Wait…won't uhh…Cloud be on…the first…floor?"

The reality sank in. _How serious is this? _The pair had been absorbed in their own dilemma and hadn't seen any of the chaos untie. Just what was waiting for them? _Wutaia forces… First Class SOLDIER led battles, though? Isn't that a bit much? _He wondered. What was down there that SOLDIER couldn't fight off…

5…4…3…2…

From the second floor, you can see the first, something the pair wished they hadn't, "Oh my _Goddess_!" She cried, running up to the balcony edge. A real warzone lay before them. Broken glass was scattered all over the floor, and tiles that were once white took the sickening colour of blood as it seeped from the wounds of both the dead and alive. Blood on the doors and blood on the walls. Everywhere. Bodies of the dead lay motionless on the ground. And it was a horrible sight to see. Alcie felt her eyes welling up again, but she knew this wasn't the right time,_ They're dead and you're still alive. Do not cry. Fight. _She told herself. The worst part though, wasn't the blood or the dead or the glass, it was the fighting. The infantrymen and SOLDIER members, armed with swords and guns and fists and grenades, yelling and screaming, some sobbing for fallen comrades. They were fighting not just because they were ordered to, but because they were fighting for each other, fighting to avenge their comrades—their brothers. Fighting to save their friends. Fighting so that their loved ones don't have to. Stabbings and slashes and bullet wounds and…_monsters_.

"What is going on?!" she spun around to face Zack, seeing over his shoulder to the same scene on their floor, "…_Goddess_."

"_Zack_! Where in Gaia have you been?! You've been called for six times!"

"Sorry, Angeal, it's a long story—there's no time!"

"—Alcie, was it? What are you doing here?"

"Angeal, we'll tell you later! I have to get her out of here!"

"What?! No, I'm not leaving!"

"You're…serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious! I'm _not_ leaving while these people are dying. Come on! You have to get to the exit!"

Without giving him time to protest, she tore down the stairs, Zack close behind her, "But, Cee, you could _die_ here!"

"Don't make me lecture you again," she yelled over her shoulder, weaving between crowds of ShinRa's brave warriors, "I can't have you—Tifa!"

"Huh?" Zack furrowed his brow.

"_Cee_! Where have you been?"

"We were stuck in one of the elevators that crashed—as you can see, we're safe, don't worry. What's happening here?" she panted, as the three crouched and hid out of fire and sight.

"The Wutai Army seems to have ambushed—"

"—Then what are those MASSIVE MONSTERS doing in here?!"

"They're Wutai's anti-SOLDIER units, funny that they'd bring them along…" Zack answered.

"Yeah, well, there's a huge one out back, that's where they're trying to send you, Zack, after that has felled—"

"They'll withdraw…"

"…Exactly."

"Where's Cloud?"

"He's over there with Genesis," the brunette motioned with a thumb, "I've been helping out around here, Zack…you know what to do."

"Right, right," he stood up and drew his sword, studying his reflection in the steel, briefly, murmuring, "embrace your dreams…and whatever happens…protect your SOLDIER honour," although Alcie seemed not to notice as she stood and followed.

"No, Cee, stay here."

"What?! _WHY_?"

"It's too dangerous, I can't let you go!"

"But I—"

"Please, Alcie," he pleaded, placing his hands on her arms and shaking her gently, "_please_. Stay here."

The girl stared into his eyes, brows furrowed, anxiety and panic poisoning her face, "TEN MINUTES! If you aren't back in_ ten minutes_, I'm coming for you!"

He smiled, "Thank you," before nodding and sprinting away from the auburn-haired girl.

"Uhh. Did I miss something?" she asked, smirking.

"Yes! You did, and I have SO much to tell you, it isn't even funny. But now is not the time," she yelled, "We have to help everyone!"

Tifa nodded, "Just don't tell the puppy or you'll get me in trouble," Alcie scoffed.

The pair swam through troops, seemingly unscathed, only suffering minor damage from the odd sword grazing their skin, to the other side of the room, "Cloud!" Both the blonde and the red-clad, auburn-haired man who was fighting alongside him took notice of the orange-eyed female bounding towards them.

"…Alcie?" Genesis asked, one hundred per cent sober this time, "Is that you?"

"Yes yes, it's me, hi hi, look, cutting to the chase, how can we help?"

"What do you mean 'how can you help'?" He spun on his heel and jabbed a Wutaian grunt in the rib, before slashing upwards with his crimson coloured blade, sending the Wutaian flying into the glass of the elevator from earlier that day.

"I want to help and help I will, now WHERE DO YOU WANT ME!" She half-screamed, refusing to be brushed aside again, losing her temper—they were running out of time!

He paused momentarily, weighing the possibilities, "Okay fine, go for the knock out, take down that group of grunts over there, but please, for Gaia's sake, run from the Anti-SOLDIER forces. You don't even have a weapon."

"Thanks. Let's go, Teef," with a nod in response, the pair laced through SOLDIER and Wutaia forces, until they reached a small group of around seven or eight men crouched behind some cover of sorts.

"Excuse me," she swallowed her urge to smile, "can you help us? We don't know where on Gaia we are!"

One of the men, perhaps the biggest, stood up glaring down at her menacingly, or you know, _trying_ to be menacing. He lifted his gunblade-halberd hybrid and pointed the blade end to her neck—essentially, she thought, it was just a glorified piece of wood. It was long, and the handle was reminiscent of that of a broom or mop, but instead of some friendly-looking, damp, woolly tassels hanging off the end there was a nice, foot-long, sharp-looking blade attached to it. _Naturally_. In the centre of the stick lay a trigger which operated the gun end of the stick.

"No, sir! You've got it all wrong!" _Why do they never fall for it in real-life?! _"You've got _me_ all wrong," the man pushed the blade into the side of her neck, drawing blood, and narrowed his eyes, "I'm _much_ better than that," she snarled.

His eyes widened as he pulled his blade back for the stab but missed as she ducked and swung her leg into his ankles. He pulled himself up and slashed for the girl's stomach, underestimating her speed, only catching her side lightly—which she ignored, and he lived to regret it as she spun around him and cracked her leg down into the back of the man's neck, sending him down groaning, "Alright! NEXT!" _One down…_

A few of the men stood up, unaware of Tifa's presence behind them. She swiftly pulled ones neck left then right, so fast, he wouldn't have known anything. Alcie winced at the sound of his neck snapping, she'd never seen anything like that before, but she had no time to sit and wonder as she performed a strong roundhouse kick to the ribs—something Tifa taught her—knocking the other man off balance, and using the momentum to spin around, lower her stance and send the heel of her foot driving into the man's stomach, knocking him down._ I guess that's three…_

Two men charged for Alcie together and she could only assume that Tifa was getting the same treatment as she ducked under a bladed swing and forced her fist into the troopers gut. The other dropped his halberd and upped his fists, "My kinda man," she scoffed sending her own towards his jaw, he blocked it skilfully, catching her and pulling her arm towards the ground—a move she recognised. He lifted his leg up high to swing it down but the girl twisted out and twirled her foot into his chin, sending him back a few feet, the other man, perhaps waiting for his chance to strike, pushed his halberd toward her stomach, certainly not anticipating her to grab the stick. Faster than the man could fathom, she leapt off the ground, still holding the spear, and planted her feet firmly on the man's chest, using him as a springboard, hurtling him to the ground, his teeth meeting tile. She landed neatly and spun quickly, jabbing the other man with the gun end of the mop, spinning it around swiftly, the blade coming into contact with his face, blood running down his cheeks.

He shrieked in pain, "Come on," she frowned, "it's just like, a _little_ cut, grow a pair."

"Cee! Look out!" Tifa cried, preoccupied with dodging a kick to the neck.

She spun around, the blade of a halberd just slashing her jawline. She growled in pain, _oh well_, she thought it was better there than through her throat, which it would've been had Tifa not warned her. She ducked and connected a spinning hook kick to the nose; a delightful cracking noise plagued her ears. Needless to say, he went down after that. He was conscious, yes, but he wasn't about to get up again. These guys were certainly no SOLDIER members or martial artists, no. Not even close. But it wasn't these guys that were causing the problems, it was the Anti-SOLDIER monsters that were raising all hell.

_Wait_, she gasped, "Zack!" The girl called over, "Teef! Go get Angeal!" The martial artist nodded before spinning and knocking two fists into the last troopers' ribs.

"Got it," she replied, veering off towards the stairs, being chased down by a disarmed soldier.

Alcie spun her head around frantically searching for a certain auburn-haired man. How can someone wearing SO much red leather be so hard to find? She stood up on a table, head turning like a meerkat, until she spotted the SOLDIER Operative, dancing his blade, and fighting his foes. He caught sight of the girl, bouncing up and down on the table, waving her arms. He furrowed his eyebrows until she stuck her thumb up at him and nodded—he knew what she meant.

She dropped down before picking up one of the Wutaia weapons and tearing towards the direction Zack went in. Her pulse raced when she started hearing unnerving thuds and grunts—her pace quickened_. Where is he?_ She turned a corner and she saw it. It was _huge. _At _least_ fifteen foot high and just as wide_. _It was built like a beast, huge arms with coppery coloured armour covering most of them and a purple-ish tinge to its skin. Large horns protruded from its skull, for skewering, no doubt. But perhaps the most fearsome thing about the beast was that it was wielding an enormous axe, large enough to cut her in two. She absent-mindedly fingered at the cut on her jaw before staring at the blood on her fingertips._ That's the least of my worries._

She scanned the area from her point behind the wall, frantically darting her eyes corner to corner, searching for Zack. She panicked when she couldn't see him until he sprayed into view slashing and twisting and diving and lunging. Air flooded the girl's lungs in relief, but it didn't last long. Her eyes widened infinitesimally when she focused and saw quite how bad off he was. He wasn't so fast now, and he was uncharacteristically sloppy—he was still better than your average SOLDIER Operative, but not _Zack_. The girl furrowed her eyebrows, and scratched the back of her head, shaking it lightly. She tightened her grip on her new found weapon, trying to fabricate a plan. Not enough time. She watched the beast sweep an arm with ungodly force, throwing Zack into a wall, plaster falling, a large dent where he'd landed, the boy slumping down, who was hardly conscious she assumed. _No!_ She watched the monster pull back its axe-wielding arm, "NO!" She screamed.

"…Alcie…"

She tore from behind her cover firing somewhat blindly—it was big enough, not like she was going to miss, after all. It stopped, axe in hand, and turned to face its new threat. She stood valiantly, square on, her facial expression as hard as stone, although her eyes were brimming. She aimed and fired for the face repeatedly, pissing it off. It was _working_. He (she, it?) called her on it, and stepped forward. She took the halberd in two hands, holding it horizontally in front of her and stood her ground. It lowered its head, almost to the floor, glowing eyes glaring her down viciously. It charged towards her, but she didn't budge.

"Cee…!" Zack cried, reaching forward with his arm weakly, _painfully_, before having it fall to the ground with a small thud.

Timed just right—practice really _had_ made perfect—she bent backward, halberd in hands, and kicked the beasts jaw hard enough to hear the crack with both legs in rapid succession. The beast roared, its head thrown back, and in that same second, the girl kicked her feet back from the handstand, enabling her to stand on feet, and stabbed the halberd blade through its throat, up into its brain.

She didn't even check it was dead, she let go of her bloodied weapon, still lodged in its throat and ran over to the puppy. The monster fell on its face, the halberd piercing through its skull. It was _very_ dead. She skidded to a halt, dropped to her knees next to the boy, and put her hand on his forehead, gently covering a wound, "Oh Goddess, Zack? Zack! Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"…Mmnn…Alcie…you did it…" He breathed, looking into her teary eyes, "I'm alright…"

She stroked his hair carefully, his eyes closing, "N—no, you keep your eyes open, you. You're stronger than that! You're _Zack Fair_!"

"…I'm tired," he chuckled. She frowned observing his cuts and bruises, there was a fairly minor cut on his forehead and his nose was bleeding, small scratches and bruises were scattered on his arms—most of which were healing already, but what concerned her most was what she couldn't see, his back, his neck, and his bones. She bit down on her lip hard before gently kissing his temple.

"…We'll bring him to the infirmary."

The girl jumped at the sound of another voice, "Angeal! Oh Goddess, Teef, thank you," she expressed, unsure of if the girl could even hear her, she could. She reached down and held one of Zack's hands in both of hers, "He's going to be fine, right?"

"Like, you said. He's Zack Fair," the older man assured, gaining a nod in response, "Miss Lockhart, would you mind informing Genesis of our current situation. Then please proceed to sweep the area, disposing of any remaining resistances alongside him and Strife."

"Sir," she saluted and nodded, spinning on her heel to carry out orders for her friend.

"You're gonna be okay, _okay_?" Alcie whispered.

The black-haired boy smiled weakly, _I know_.

* * *

**A/N: I think I'll stop there. My Goddess! What a strange little chapter that was! Next chapter we'll find the explanations to a certain little kiss our friends shared :o! What happened there, huh?! Haha, well, I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!**


	7. Deeper Meanings

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: OKAY! ****GUYS, I LOVE YOU IF YOU'RE STILL READING THIS! AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! ...Ahem...**This chapter has quite a lot of dialogue and patches of block description, setting scenes and emotions and such as we delve into Alcie's mind. What does she think about Zack? Will Tifa get her job? Is Zack going to go under? I know…and you're about to find out! Do enjoy! – Fearlessed x 

Also, thanks to** Zanarkand-Brotherhood** and **razzledazzle** for the reviews, I appreciated them muchly!**  
**

**Disclaimer: **Do I have to say it again? It's so painful…

* * *

**Chapter 7: Deeper Meanings**

"Well…that's the last of them," he proclaimed, pulling off a glove and running his fingers through spiky hair.

"Well done, Strife."

"Thanks. What happens now?" The blonde asked, ocean blue eyes scanning the area, bodies strewn across the floor and blood as far as the eye can see.

"…The Turks will be sent in for investigation…if any evidence is obtained we will be informed at approximately seventeen hundred hours. Remain on standby until then. I will be sure to inform the Director of your efforts, Strife. You too, Miss Lockhart."

"Sir," the pair saluted in unison.

The man they were talking to was a certain legendary SOLDIER member. His long, silver hair fell longer than the barmaid's, reaching towards the tops of his thighs, with bangs parted either side of his face reaching to his collarbones. He towered Cloud's 5'8" frame standing at 6'1", and while he had much wider shoulders than most, he had a surprisingly narrow stomach, although this didn't make the Great Sephiroth look wimpy. No, no. He had a somewhat narrow chin, his eyebrows parallel to his jawline, making him look mildly pissed off all the time. Or maybe he _was_ pissed off all the time, who knew? Either way, Cloud didn't really feel like meeting a _really_ pissed off Sephiroth—he quite liked his head where it was. Unlike the pokey-headed thing, Sephiroth's eyes were a glowering green, Mako swirling and highlighting them further. He turned with an heir of grace, his black coat waving to the side as he walked off towards the Director's office, the pair assumed.

"How'd that feel?" The brunette youth asked, referring to the clear compliment from his superior, while smiling brightly at the boy beside her.

"…That felt…_good_. Really good, Tifa," he mused, smiling reservedly

"I'll bet. Sephiroth doesn't tell anyone they did good," she began, trailing off towards a corridor, earning a face of bemusement from Cloud. When she caught the look knitted through his features she continued, "Come on. We have to go see Zack and Alcie."

"Oh! Right, right. Who _is_ that girl anyway?" he questioned, following the chestnut-haired girl off down the hallway.

"…I don't know much about her, but she's becoming a good friend of mine," she paused, pushing a button on the wall by an elevator, casually brushing off the thought of the main ones that crashed earlier that day, "She's got a lot of fight in her, for sure. Maybe a little too much for her own good, at times."

Cloud chuckled barely, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I can see her getting herself in trouble. She's…impatient, and irrational to boot. But she has a good heart, really. She just does what she thinks is right at the time. Doesn't really think of the problems it can cause in the long-run."

Cloud nodded, mouth in a line, and stepped into the elevator, "Sounds like someone I know."

"Zack, right?"

"Yeah, but, I suppose he's a little more…what's the word…level-headed?"

Tifa scoffed, "Really?"

"Uh. Maybe not but…he is when he's in the game, you know?"

The wine-eyed girl nodded as the elevator began moving, "I suppose so. He's a born leader, whether he knows it or not."

"When…we're on a mission…Zack is…" he pursed his lips, his brow drawing, searching for the right words, "He's like a different person. Well, I guess that depends on the severity and importance but, in a critical condition, like today's break-in, something in his mind just snaps," he clicked his fingers in unison, "and he'll do anything for his comrades."

"Aren't we all that way?"

Cloud met Tifa's eyes openly, willing her to carry on, "…The fray affects us all in different ways. I know, for one, that you had your head in the game. I mean, look at you, you're such a quiet guy. You're sweet in your own little ways and I know you have your idols and ideals. But…today, you performed to a standard that impressed the Great Sephiroth himself. You fought alongside First Class Genesis, and you kept up with him!"

Cloud's mouth fell open just slightly, "You think so?"

Tifa's eyes widened in disbelief, "How can you not _know_ so? The point is we're all affected. Whether we want to be or not. Did you see Alcie? The way she stared right into Genesis's face—"

"If I'd never known determination, that was it."

"Exactly. Pure stubbornness too, I believe," She laughed lightly, "I don't think she'd have listened if he told her to leave anyway."

"By the look in her eyes, she'd have hit him."

The ping of the elevator distracted the pair as the door opened and the aforementioned Genesis came into view, "Uh…" he stuttered fairly awkwardly.

"Hi, Genesis," She cast a friendly smile on her face, "What floor?"

The red clad man stepped inside and brushed his shoulder into Cloud's as he passed, "Sorry," he murmured, before standing right up next to the glass, "The infirmary."

"That's where we're headed," She commented, her brow furrowing, "is everythin—"

"—I need to speak to Angeal," He broke her off, his mouth in a thin line.

Cloud passed Tifa a glance, showing his puzzlement, gaining only the shake of her head in response. The older man just stared off into the distance through the glass, through his reflection in it, or perhaps at his reflection in it as his lips pursed tighter. His auburn hair fell to his jawline, side bangs brushing out of his face as he turned. Tifa could see his troubled expression, but decided not to ask, but in that same moment, he elaborated anyway.

"I'm just concerned as to the real meaning behind the attack today. We have reason to believe it wasn't an attempt to end the war."

"Well, that's a given, seeing as they only sent grunts and Anti-SOLDIER weaponry," the blonde offered.

"Precisely. If they wanted to wipe ShinRa out, they'd have sent their Crescent Unit—their best. So what _did_ they want?"

"Could they have been testing the waters?" The brunette asked, rubbing the back of one leg with the other in thought.

"A possibility," the light blue eyed man replied, blinking. Maybe that _was_ what they were doing. Genesis found that rather cold though, sending your men on a suicidal mission, in order to gain so little knowledge. But then again, this is war. And it was really no different to—

The elevator door interrupted his thoughts. The area was bright and the room was round, windows spilling natural light around them—a fair rarity in this building. Four corridors branched off the main room into various wards and waiting rooms. Cloud screwed up his nose out of clear distaste when the smells of typical medicines and Mako reached his nostrils. A circular desk sat in the centre of the room, with a friendly looking woman manning the counter. Genesis pushed between the pair who were six or so years his junior, and spoke to the woman.

"Do you know where Angeal is?"

"Um, yes, he is currently in room zero-one-seven with Zack Fair, SOLDIER—"

"—Yes, yes, I know who Zack is…" he mumbled impatiently, while wandering off in the general direction of the room.

Tifa looked at Cloud in mild amusement before jogging off after the older man, zero-one-seven in mind. The corridor they took split in two and the pair followed Genesis down left, assuming he knew where he was going. Of course, he did. He had spent a fair amount of time on this ward after all. He didn't get to SOLDIER overnight like Zack and Sephiroth did. He worked hard for his place and made First Class a short while after Angeal did. His faint blue-green eyes lit red as the large, crimson, '017' flashed above a door. The auburn haired man fumbled for his keycard, before slicing it through a scanner, the '017' flashing blue before he burst the door open, having it slam into the wall once it opened. The brunette barmaid gaped at the SOLDIER Third who did pretty much the same in return before entering the quiet room.

Six eyes met a bed, dressed in white sheets housing an injured young man under them—eyes closed, and an auburn-haired young girl simply sat on the right side of the bed by his hips, holding his un-gloved hand in both of hers. The sound of the loud slam didn't faze her. Neither did she move or speak. She just sat, her back facing the door, staring at the sleeping young man, enveloped in her thoughts, willing the day to repeat so she could change the outcome. Other than the pair, the light room was void of life.

Genesis cleared his throat, "Sorry. Where's Angeal?"

The eighteen-year-old untwined one of her hands very gently, before pointing a finger towards a door opposite the one the three burst in from, without moving her eyes and without speaking. In fact, her lips were pursed as though she hadn't spoken for a while, her jaw fairly clenched. Genesis nodded, although she couldn't see, and headed through it into an office of some kind where Angeal sat on a chair, speaking to a nurse. Alcie dropped her hand back onto Zack's, his warmth burning her fingers, as Tifa passed a glance to Cloud, unsure of whether or not to stay.

"Should we—"

"You can stay," She announced quietly.

Cloud nodded and sat down on a small loveseat set under a window, to the right of the bed, facing both Alcie and Zack. He shifted over leaving enough room for Tifa to perch next to him.

"Is there anything we can do for you…?" The brunette asked softly as she sat down.

Alcie sighed a deep breath and shook her head lightly, "No, it's okay."

"Are you sure? Because Cloud's on standby and we'd be happy to—"

"It's okay. I don't need anything. And…unless you can bring this puppy here's consciousness back…I'm not interested," She replied, rather matter-of-factly.

Tifa shifted, somewhat uncomfortably, although she understood to a certain extent, "What happened…?"

"…He passed out not long after you left. They say he's gonna be okay but…I don't know, it's just…he's usually so full of life and…to see him so empty is just…"

"…I know. At least…I think I do, although, that's not quite what I meant. What I meant was…what happened…between you two today…?"

The girl on the bed looked away from the boy for what could've been the first time in hours and revealed her eyes to be red and watery, forcing the orange in her eyes to become more prevalent than Tifa had seen before. Cloud would've been shocked if he was looking at her, but he wasn't. He studied his mentor—his _best friend's_ face and furrowed his brow. _It's not fair…happens to the best of us, Zack_. The girl swallowed hard and looked at Tifa, biting her lip, "We, uhh, we stayed together after you two left and…we went to go take a look around but…the elevator stopped when the alarms went off. I guess…I panicked and climbed out and then…I realised I was going to die."

Tifa's eyes widened infinitesimally and even Cloud brought his gaze to Alcie's face, "What'd you climb out for?!"

"There was no other way!" She half-sobbed, a tear sent to ravage her cheeks, "Anyway, it's just as well I did otherwise we would've died, Tifa!"

The girl smoothed down her leather mini skirt and chewed the inside of her cheek, she tapped her fingers on her knee before quietly recalling, "...I remember you saying…the elevators crashed just after, didn't they?"

"Yeah," she swallowed, nodding her head, "We didn't know that was gonna happen though. But uh, anyway…I managed to pull myself up and open an emergency door and get Zack out," a pain in her chest panged at the mention of his name, "And I was…crying because…I was so scared…I was so frazzled mentally _and_ physically…I didn't know what to do with myself so I…I threw myself into his arms, crying…and he held me—"

"—I guess that explains a lot—"

"—That's not even the half of it…" Tifa furrowed her brow in mild perplexity, "…we kissed."

"YOU _KISSED_?" She cried, loudly, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, extremely close to bouncing right off the couch. In fact, Cloud had to duck his head out of the way to dodge an elbow as she clasped her hands together in delight. He put his hand on her shoulder, which soon sobered her up dry.

"…Yeah," her eyes spilling, yet a small smile rested on her lips, "it was a…spur of the moment kind of thing…but it was…the most _perfect_ thing…if a little…unorthodox," she smiled, reusing the word Zack had to describe her.

She snorted, eyebrows raised, "Unorthodox is right. What happened then?"

The orange eyed girl swallowed again, blinking out tears, uncharacteristically indifferent towards the fact that she was crying in front of her friends, "Umm…we used the supports to climb up to an air-duct… We had to catch each other—trust each other and oh…that was different to anything I've ever experienced before…" She sniffled, consciously recalling the feelings of being held, dangling above a three hundred odd foot drop, and holding on only by a hand. _Your whole life in control of the one whose hand you're holding. Your life feels a hell of a lot more precious when you think of it as fragile as glass, which it was in that moment_. _One tiny slip-up and you're dead. And you're not coming back. _She couldn't help but wonder what would've happen if she had fell…would Zack have fallen too because he leaned to far over? Would he have cried and screamed? Or would he have…jumped?

"While climbing the supports…that's when the elevators fell."

Cloud spoke up, "Sephiroth mentioned that was the Anti-SOLDIER forces on the top floors."

Alcie just nodded her head, "I see."

"What happened then?

"…We headed down the stairs and found you, Tifa. He ran off and…eventually, I followed…then I—"

"—Kicked that things ass."

"How did you k—"

"—Angeal and I watched you."

"…Oh…as I said…after you left, he closed his eyes and he hasn't opened them since…" She sighed and looked over to the twenty-two-year-old, she began sobbing, fairly uncontrollably, although, not much sound escaped her lips, "I want to see them…"

A silence fell over the room, thicker than darkness, until Cloud broke it softly, "…You'll see them again."

"…I know…he's…Zack Fair," she smiled sadly, tears curling around her face under her chin, something that would usually irritate her and force her to wipe them away. But this time, well, she wasn't about to let his hand go.

The door that Genesis disappeared through opened with less force this time, and the pair of SOLDIER members surfaced from the room. The shorter, Genesis, shifting somewhat uncomfortably in his leather coat at the sight of tears on the girls face. His gaze hit the floor when she turned her body to look at him, so she looked to Angeal instead, "…What did they say?"

The black-haired man took a few steps forward when talking, out of habit, "He has multiple injuries to his back and shoulders, concussion, a fractured elbow and a few broken ribs."

She choked on her breath and tightened her grip on his hand as the man continued, "…It all depends on how well the Mako in his system heals his ribs. If they heal correctly, he'll be out as soon as tomorrow, but if it heals wrong, they may need to fix it with surgery. Even then, he'd be out in three days max. He's lucky."

She nodded quietly and shifted her weight back so she could face the boy again, "So, tomorrow…? Isn't that a little fast?"

"It's the Mako. It doesn't just heighten strength and cognitive ability; it enhances all senses and speeds up healing processes. Look at his arm."

Alcie furrowed her eyebrows slightly at the odd request before gently removing the bandage surrounding his right arm, the one of the hand she was holding, and gasped slightly and her eyes lit up in hope, "Wow…" Where not three hours ago, his arms were covered in cuts and bruises, his skin lay perfectly, as if untouched. She ran her fingers gently across his skin, as if to check it was even real…it was. _Well…that's promising_.

"'_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end,  
The goddess descends from the sky,  
Wings of light and dark spread afar,  
She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting'_."

"…What's that about the Goddess?" She asked, eyes widening.

"It's a mere poem, LOVELESS…prologue…" Angeal explained, sighing inwardly, "We must be off. We have a meeting to attend to. Strife, seventeen hundred hours, Floor Fifty One… You should come too," he motioned towards the girls in the room, "The Director wishes to speak to you, Miss Lockhart, and I believe he will want to meet you too, Miss Lenna."

She creased her face up momentarily, _W__hat would the Director want with me? What have I done now?_ She wondered before nodding slowly.

"We bid farewell," the man in red briskly headed for the door.

"Take care of my puppy," Angeal chuckled as he slid through the door as it closed. It blew a breeze through the room as it did—an unusually fresh breeze at that. A clean, refreshing breeze that took Alcie's breath as it lapped her face.

Cloud was the first to break the new silence, shuffling in his seat, searching for his PHS, "It's…nearly four now."

Tifa searched for her voice, although it came out slightly husky to begin with, "…Do we have time to eat? You must be hungry, Cee."

"No…I'll stay here…I don't want to leave him by himself..." She looked towards her friends and smiled, "I'm okay, really. I'll meet you by the fifty first floor elevator."

"Right."

* * *

Light spilled into the clean, white room, leaving a soft yellow-brown glow on everything it met, kissing it with hints of purple which shone through as the sun began to set. The girl thought it was odd, but it was understandably coming from both the sun and the spill of Mako, bursting from one of the eight reactors surrounding the city. When the sun shone through the spills, you got this colour, highlighting everything around, and the lower the sun got, the more purple it became until nightfall, when only the Mako would shine—if you were lucky enough to be able to see it from your building.

The glow lit up the girl's face as she sighed heavily, checking the time on the wall. _Time to go_, she thought to herself. Her eyes were still red and one of her hands was still connected to his as she stood from her chair on the right side of the room, by the bed and loveseat. Gently she laid his arm by his side and stroked his forehead.

_Why is this so hard…? I don't understand…Zack… I have to leave now, but I'll be back…I promise._

Before she knew what she was doing, she lifted her head down to kiss the boy's forehead slowly. She pulled away just slightly, and before she could stop herself, her eyes flooded with misery. Remembering a song she had to sing. Right now. She just _had_ to.

"_When times are hard, you will find me,_" She comforted softly in a singing voice,  
"_Breathing-in your pain,_  
_ You will find, what it means,_  
_ To dance the rain._

_Don't be afraid, you'll wake alone_,  
_ Back before you know,_  
_ Hear my heart in your head…_  
_ Dance again…_"

But…by the end of the song, the girl couldn't help but burst into sobs. Quite terribly. The song was one that her mother sang to her when she was a child. A song that she continued to sing to her brother when he was upset, and one she sang to herself when things got a little out of hand. She had never understood it while a child, and never questioned it as she grew. But as she sang it to Zack then, conscious or not, it made perfect sense to her. She found that, it wasn't about seeking solace...but rather about...surviving alone...and death.

She composed herself quickly, rubbing down her face and slapping her cheeks, for whatever reason. She sniffed and took a deep breath in, "Don't you tell anyone about that, okay?" She pinched his cheek lightly and playfully before stroking it.

"I'll see you, Puppy," She whispered before closing the door. She took up a fast jog down the hallways, hoping to dry her eyes off somehow, air blowing in her face and all. And by the time she reached the elevator, her face did look a _little_ bit better. She stepped inside and studied her reflection in the clear, pane of glass that bent to form the round shape of the elevator. _Wow_, _I look like a mess_… She laughed, trying to regain higher spirits, and pulled her cheeks with her fingers, unsure what she was trying to do, other than maybe entertain herself.

She stopped rather abruptly when she heard the elevator ping, thinking someone was about to enter and think she was, for lack of a better word, retarded. She smiled slightly at her mental insult and then wider when she realised this was, in fact, her floor. _Maybe I am a little—_

She wandered out of the elevator and caught sight of a chocobo in the crowds of people dotted around. _That's not right_…She thought, "Cloud!" She called, loudly, drawing more attention than just his. Not that she cared, really.

The blonde nudged a certain barmaid with his elbow, "Look, it's Alcie," he told her, Tifa who spun on the ball of her foot to face her, "We were wondering if you were gonna show up," he smiled.

"Ye—es, thank you! I'm on time!" She whined, eyes still slightly red and puffy, but she wasn't going to worry them if she could help it.

"Just barely," the other girl chuckled, pulling her friend into a quick hug, "Right, they're calling in small groups going by Class and battalion and such—it's likely that _we_'_ll_ be last so, we have a little time to ourselves. Cloud's group's next so he has like thirty seconds, sobyebyeCloud!" She waved at him and ushered him away hastily, earning a pout and a facial expression of all but lucidity.

"Uhh, bye, Cloud," the ghost of a smile tugged at the orange-eyed girl's lips.

"You. Over here. Sit. Now," Tifa ordered, somewhat sternly, while dragging the auburn-haired to sit on a bench of sorts and plopping next to the girl.

"…Is this detention, or…?" She asked dryly, her eyebrows high.

"Alcie…are you _okay_?"

"I'm fine, why—"

"Because your eyes are telling me you are most UNfine."

"…Look, Tifa…it's just…I've had such an up and down day… I was as high as a kite with Mako Addiction earlier, and now I'm like…like a submarine that can't resurface…"

"…Well then…why don't you tell me about it? How are you feeling, Cee?" The red-eyed girl's features softened significantly, her slim eyebrows tilted upwards toward the centre showing her concern and her lips were parted a little as her jaw relaxed.

"…Where do I start from…?"

"This morning?"

"…Okay…uh, this morning I felt…really good…I was _so_ excited to come here…" She closed her eyes in thought, feeling slightly silly, _explaining_ her feelings, "…So excited to see everyone and everything… You must've seen my face when we got here, right?"

The older girl nodded, smiling, "Yeah, I remember. Then when we met up with Zack, you were virtually the same."

"Yeah, Teef, but…_better_. My heart was racing and my stomach felt like it was…_floating_, you know? He took me to see Aerith…and she said she couldn't tell me much…so I felt…" The girl tightened her lips together in thought, nibbling them slightly, "Disheartened, I suppose. I did find out I'm not crazy though, so that was something. Uh…that was when we got in the elevator and we were talking and then…that's when the alarms went off…the lift stopped…"

Tifa nodded slowly, draping her arm over the girl's shoulder and rubbed her arm with a hand in a small form of consolation, however small, until she continued, "Tifa…" The auburn-haired looked right into her friend's eyes, pain swelling and a river flooding as she did, "I was so scared…because he kinda…froze up—something in his mind just clicked and he looked like he was going to throw up…I've never seen anyone look like that before in my life and…it was horrible. I…started to panic…and he yanked open the door, pain in his face…so…I told him I was going to climb out. He looked terrified. And then…his face was swallowed by fear…complete and utter fear…it even tore through his voice and I think that was the worst bit, Teef. And…it _sucks_, you know?! Because…I can't shift that image out of my head!"

_Whenever I think…whenever I close my eyes…I see his face…writhing in pain and frustrations…panic and…just that _fear_…If he doesn't open his eyes soon I might go crazy..._ "What if he were to never open his eyes again? I keep thinking. What if something went wrong?! If something had changed…could this not have happened? And the more I think, the more…suffocated I become…" She bit her lips hard, her body shaking, although, Tifa couldn't say anything to help. She wanted to, but didn't know even where to start.

The taller girl cleared her throat weakly before continuing, "…I pulled him out…and a wave of relief swept over me with all of Leviathan's power…because I knew, I was alive…I feel strange saying it myself…but, I was distraught…I couldn't shake the feelings and thoughts away…until he looked at me. And when he did…I thought like I was about to implode. There was something about him that…I felt I needed…just his touch or words or smells…_anything_. I felt so at peace within him…but—"

"—That's when he kissed you, right?"

"…Yeah and…it was just…_right_. You know? He just…accepted me like no one else before…and when he broke away…I moved back in, Teef, can you _believe_ that?"

Tifa chuckled lightly, "Yeah…I kinda can."

"_How_?! I couldn't believe it! I _still_ can't believe it!"

"Because, Cee, you're such a passionate person, you're almost child-like," Alcie pouted profusely before biting it back, realising she just proved the barmaid's point, earning a laugh, "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, Cee. If there were more people like you, I think more things would be done about the world, but unfortunately, I have met few with traits like yours… One I have met, though, is Zack.

The orange-eyed girl's face twisted into surprise, "…Really? But he's so…lovely and…puppy-like… A kind of…childish innocence but at the same time…he's so strong and kind—"

Tifa nodded, breaking the girl off, "_Uh-huh_," and chuckled lightly, "What did you do after that?

"Nothing other than…maybekissagain," She sheepishly darted her eyes around, suspiciously, trying very desperately hard not to cry again.

Tifa just smiled and waited for her friend to continue, "And…he had his hands on my face like this…you know? And…maybe that was the best one, even…since when it ended…I wasn't ready for the end…you know…and I wish it _hadn't_ ended…because now…"

"I know, sweetie," The shorter girl comforted, wrapping her arms around her friend tightly, "What're you gonna do when he wakes up, huh?"

"Hit him 'til he goes back under…all this worry he caused me," she said dryly, "…I don't know…"

"You gonna kiss him again?" Tifa jabbed, chuckling.

"…I don't know that either…"

"What?!" The older girl broke off their hug to look into orange eyes.

Tears threatened their charge once more, "Tifa…what if it was just that…_just_ a spur of the moment thing… What if it was...another guy? Would the same thing have happened? What if he—"

"—Alcie! No! _Don't doubt this_!" She cried, shaking her friend's shoulders, looking into her eyes as best she could without the other girl looking away, "What you had, Cee, that was _real_. You didn't take your hands off him for hours, Alcie, let yourself _have_ this."

"But I—"

"—Did you regret it?"

"Huh?"

"Do you regret letting him kiss you?"

"Well, no, bu—"

"—Do you regret kissing him back?"

"...No—"

"Then what happened after that? You kissed _each other_, Cee. You wanted it, and he wanted it more."

Alcie furrowed her brow at the brunette's choice of words, "What makes you say that?"

"Because I know that boy, and he doesn't do that. Zack Fair goes to parties and hits on girls blindly, having a laugh. Zack Fair does 'certain things' with random girls drunkenly and regrets it—maybe he doesn't regret it—"

"—Is this supposed to make me feel good, or—"

"—Zack Fair _doesn't_ kiss girls sober for no reason… He certainly doesn't go for the whole hands on face thing. Were his hands on your neck at all?"

"…Yeah—"

"And like, your hip or lower back or—"

"—Lower back—"

"—Were his hands on your ass? _At all_?"

"No!"

"There you go then. You're not some random girl to him. He wanted _you_. This isn't a spur of the moment thing for him. Neither is it something he'll regret. I mean, sure, the event probably triggered it. But that doesn't take away from the fact that, Alcie Lenna, Zack Fair likes you a lot. Like, a _lot_ a lot. And if you kiss him when he wakes up, I swear to you, that boy will kiss you back with every ounce and fibre of his being!"

"…You drive a solid argument…"

"One of my finer qualities," she scoffed, "So, listen," her voice softening again, "don't worry, okay? Don't think about the bad things that happened today…think about the _good_ that came out of it… Don't cry when you have nothing to be sad about… _You kissed_ _Zack Fair_! Do you know how many girls would _kill_ to be able to say that?!" She tried her hardest to lighten the tone, to some avail.

"…Thanks, Tifa," She rubbed her eyes again, drying her eyes as best could before being pulled into another hug.

"You are _most_ welcome, Cee. Any time."

A tall, bald man in sunglasses cleared his throat as though he'd been stood there a while, "Miss Lockhart? The Director wishes to see you and Miss…Alcie Lenna," he said in a fair monotone, pausing slightly whilst reading Alcie's name off a clipboard.

"Oh, okay. Let's go."

Before long, the pair were seated behind a large desk, and beyond it sat a fairly skinny man, with blonde hair that reached his shoulders. He wore a suit and tie with white dress pants and glasses. He looked a little…awkward if you asked Alcie, although, she never said anything of it. He sat in a large, swivelling chair, which would've pleased the girl if she was feeling herself.

"I am Lazard Deusericus, Director of SOLDIER. I, alongside the Head of Public Safety, decided it would be in the Company's best interests to hire a martial artist to train our recruits some hand-to-hand combat abilities _before_ promoting them to SOLDIER. Whilst contemplating this, Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class, informed me that he knew of someone he thought might just be right for the job. That someone was you, Miss Lockhart. Angeal Hewley, of the same rank, backed up his comment. Telling me he knew you too. This is correct?"

"Yes sir, Angeal visits my bar in the slums frequently, and Zack and I have been friends for a long time."

"Indeed. After today's events especially… We have decided you are perfect for this job. You are to train up new recruits and occasionally, some SOLDIER members. You will work closely with Zack Fair and or Angeal Hewley, and aid them in deciding which recruits to promote. Congratulations. You are hired," he smiled, holding a hand out for Tifa to take.

She did so, fairly excitedly, "Really?! Thank you very much, sir."

"Woooo! Congrats, Teef!" The girl with orange-brown eyes tried her hardest to sound cheerful, although something about her tone was empty.

"As for you, Miss Lenna," Alcie settled more than quickly at the mention of her name, he tucked his hands into each other and rested his head on them, "I have reason to believe that you…involved yourself…a great deal during the attacks today."

"…Sir…"

"Genesis Rhapsodos, SOLDIER First Class, informed me that you, alongside Miss Lockhart, "took out" a group of resistance, correct?"

"…Yes, sir…"

"I was then told by Angeal Hewley, that you proceeded to take an enemy weapon, run with it, and save the life of Zack Fair, annihilating a Vajradhara Cala, single-handedly."

"A Vajradwho now?"

"Vajradhara Cala, a Wutaian Anti-SOLDIER monster."

"Umm, yes, sir. That's correct."

"We've decided…to train you with our recruits in order to test your capabilities and perhaps allow you a job in our infantry, or perhaps, if you are good enough, a place in the Turks. Do you accept our offer?"

Alcie looked towards her feet and smiled. She would've been happier if her mind weren't in other places. She closed her eyes and sighed, still smiling, before standing up and holding out a hand, "I accept."

The man chuckled, meeting her hand, shaking it, while Tifa cried her congratulations, "Excellent. You will be provided with an apartment, compliments of the Company. Do you mind being roommates?"

Tifa immediately shot her gaze to Alcie, smiling wildly, "That'd be _great_!"

Over the next few minutes, the Director informed the pair of rules, guidelines, standards, curfews and expectations of the Company, followed by pay, work hours and responsibilities. Tifa listened eagerly, asking questions and nodding and agreeing, while Alcie sat listening, quietly. Tired.

Upon dismissal, each girl shook the Director's hand once more before leaving (Tifa fairly bouncing out of) the room and meeting up with another blonde-haired man, "CLOUD! I got the job!" She trilled, hopping on her feet holding his shoulders as she did.

"Congratulations, Tifa," he smiled a fairly wide smile by Cloud's standards, and accepted her hug when she threw it.

"Aaaaand, guess who's ShinRa's newest recruit?!" She motioned her hands towards Alcie behind her, who was staring at the ground, "THIS GIRL."

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, yeah, they've asked me to join as a recruit and perhaps pass to infantry levels or even the Turks. I'm delighted," She said, nonchalant. Deadpan.

"Uhh…you look it…?" He scratched the side of his head, his spiky hair bobbing slightly.

"I am. Really. I'm just tired. This day needs to end," She yawned, feigning fatigue.

"…Right, of course, you must be exhausted. Let's go back to see Zack again, okay?" The red-eyed barmaid offered, nodding her head and placing a hand on her friends shoulder in a show of support.

"Yeah…"

Outside the room '017', Alcie pushed a code into the panel beside the door, the red light turning blue, an act which earned an exchange of bemused looks amongst the blonde and brunette. The girl's heart sank when she saw the raven-haired boy lay in the exact same way as before, motionless. Eyes closed. She had hoped she'd be awake, maybe, greeting her wide-eyed and playfully, bouncing up and down on his bed but…nothing. She supposed that was a good thing too…he wouldn't have to wake up alone. She carefully walked over to the bedside and placed her hand on his shoulder, stroking him gently with her thumb. She pursed her lips and sat beside him again, her eyes low and breath irregular.

"ShinRa hired me, Zack," she began softly, still hoping he might hear her, "I hope you won't mind too much. But at the same time I do…I hope you get mad or upset or happy or excited. I just want to hear you speak again… You could say I didn't appreciate it enough when you were awake…I wouldn't tell you that you were wrong…because you wouldn't be. They say you don't appreciate things until they're gone but…you're not gone forever…you'll be back, and I'll never undervalue you. I hope you wake up soon…but I hope you're enjoying your sleep… Don't let me wake you…"

Tifa frowned, tears welling in her own eyes. It was sad to see the girl so torn between herself, half-rambling, not making any sense. Just so very genuinely upset. She didn't know what to feel or what to _do_. She was as powerless as Zack was, earlier that day, and understood how he felt, although, she didn't know of his thoughts. Tifa rested her head to the side, hitting and resting on Cloud's shoulder. Cloud, too, felt saddened by the sight, and quietly wrapped an arm around the brunette's waist.

"I'll take you guys home, okay?" He offered good-naturedly, earning a quiet nod from Tifa.

"…No," Alcie began, taking Zack's hand in hers, "I'm going to stay here…"

"What?" Tifa sputtered in mild shock.

"I'm not…not gonna leave him. The worst thing is…waking up alone and scared in a strange place…in pain…I'll sleep here. It's fine."

While usually Tifa would protest, under the circumstances, she agreed, "Okay, I understand. Make sure you sleep. Don't you wear yourself out, you hear?"

"I know…but I'll sleep better here, with him. I promise. If I went back to yours, Teef, I'd never sleep. Not in a million years…... Too far away."

"…Goodnight, Cee. Take care."

"Night, Alcie."

With a wave, they disappeared. The sign above the door clicked red outside, and on the inside, it turned off. The only light that entered the room now was an odd, purple-ish tint, lowlighting what it touched. She'd have taken the time to observe the beauty of such unusual quirks of Midgar, but right now, there were more important things on her mind. She ran her fingers down Zack's arm gently and shifted her chair over so her legs were under his bed. She studied his face as he slept, taking in as much as she could. His strong jaw was relaxed with sleep, his chin, not pointy nor round. She parted her lips, subconsciously, as she observed his soft, parted ones, breaths escaping between them. The ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she remembered how smooth his nose felt against her own, somewhat small and rounded at the tip. She thought it was cute. His skin was soft and forehead lineless. She rested her head down on his hand, the backs of his fingers brushing her cheek, _oh_, how she wished them to move. She continued to brush his face with her gaze, his black, spiky hair, longer and heavier than Cloud's, was all out of his face as he lay, bangs fallen to the side. His eyebrows followed his hairline in angle, not thick and lacking an arch but of course, he wasn't expressionless. In fact, his eyebrows were pretty pivotal in his expressions, turning upwards when sad and downwards when angry. Raising them when being cheeky or mischievous. She smiled closing her eyes.

Then there were his eyes, which she painted in her mind, as she couldn't see them now. They were perhaps her favourite things about the boy's entire appearance. How his fairly long eyelashes curled his eyelids, lighting his face. The shape of almond with the upturn in the outer corner, which Alcie herself shared. Cloud too, actually, although, Tifa's were slightly more of the regular almond shape. But, of course, the best part was his irises. Lilac weaving with blue in a perfect dance of colour. Coloured strands, wrapping and plaiting between each other. So unusual and so _beautiful. _She might find herself drowning in them sometimes. She definitely thought, though, that drowning in his eyes would be a good way to go. The perfect way to go. She just wished him to wake up to let her swim in his eyes again.

She began to sing, whether to comfort him or herself this time was unknown. But regardless, her eyes closed, face against his hand, one arm draped across his waist the other lay on his wrist—

_"When times are hard, you will find me,_  
_ Breathing-in your pain,_  
_ You will find, what it means,_  
_ To dance the rain._

_Don't be afraid, you'll wake alone_,  
_ Back before you know,_  
_ Hear my heart in your head…_  
_ Dance again…"_

—As she drifted to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Did I just end the chapter without Zack waking up…? MY GODDESS I MISS HIM ALREADY. PLEASE, DON'T DIE! So, we find our auburn-haired girl doubting herself and Zack's perfect little kissy, but will she kiss him like Tifa told her to? Hmmmm? I wonder how she'll react, if he **_**doesn't**_** wake up… Until next time…farewell! Happy new year!  
**


	8. Night Terrors

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: This chapter is short…shocking…and downright horrible to write, haha. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY PUPPY?! You don't understand the hell I put myself through writing this chapter…D: Is he still alive…? Have fun with the read – Fearlessed x**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy, guys, so therefore I can FULLY blame Square for my mental instability that surrounds my emotional state. Can _I_ sue…?

* * *

**Chapter 8: Night Terrors**

**The next morning?**

Eyebrows knitted together in discomfort as an errant ray of cold sunlight tickled his features. He didn't know how long it had been there, peeking through a lone window, watching him, but still it found his face. The light curtains of veil blew gently and freely as the crisp, February breeze played with its ends, winds slipping through the opened window, twirling in delight. The boy brought his knuckles to his eyes, sore and blinded, beginning to rub them childishly, somewhat roughly, contrasting with the surrounding calm air. Stinging. How much sleep had he had? Didn't feel like much. His eyelids felt like sandpaper. He closed them again, painfully. Willing to go back to sleep. What had happened yesterday was something that he didn't want face today. In that moment, he realised his head was filled with a hazy dream, one he chased to remember, but faded faster the harder he tried. He pouted groggily, half-lidded eyes a light shade of blue, and silently wished these feelings of tiredness away. With a sigh, he noted a sense of pressure pushing into his chest, somewhat painful, more uncomfortable, like being wrapped around the chest in tight cling film, plastic wrap that obscured his breathing.

He sat up slowly, his muscles sore and his head heavy, spending his gaze on visiting every corner of the room. A bright room, he decided, a cold room. And a still room. Very still. _Too_ still considering the open window and breezes. He furrowed his eyebrows again and sent his gaze to the panes of glass, and outwards to the early morning dusting of light painting Midgar in purple shadows and green glows of Mako. Early morning calls of birds and chugging of faraway trains flooded his ears, calm, but hasted to a certain extent. Nothing felt right. The bright ceiling lamps shone an array of colour, showing only as white, blinding the twenty-two-year-old harshly, bringing about a headache behind his eyes. He frowned further, swinging his legs to the right. Uncomfortable. Alone.

_Alone._

He scratched his eyebrow lightly in thought, rubbing his eyes again before lifting to his feet, his movement hurling countless dust particles into the air surrounding the bed, teeny specks swirling and dancing and glistening in the wall of light. He allowed himself to watch them briefly as he came around that little bit more, his mind finally focusing, disorientation finally bidding its leave as his eyes adjusted to the light pouring in them. He puckered his brow just a little more as he took a few steps, his bones creaking slightly in stiffness. He bit down on his lip in frustration, the taste of his mouth somewhat medicinal, as he pressed through his pain. Irritated, he ran a hand through loose spikes before squatting down a few times, bones cracking as he stretched, removing all feeling of constriction. Except for whatever bound his chest muscles. It wasn't…_physical_. It was just there. A force. A heaviness. He felt his heart rate increase. Faster. Beating hard as if through his chest. Why? He didn't know. He just _knew_. How strange.

Smells of medicines and breezes mingled with blood slowly, surprising the boy, confusing him. He felt a sharp blow to the head suddenly, shocking him into spinning around to find his adversary. No one. The room was empty. He raised his arm to his forehead, wiping it down with a hand. Horrifying him with what he found. Blood. Running from his hairline to his eyebrow, on the left side of his face, in a stable wave. His eyes widened infinitesimally as he studied his hand. He bit his lip. _What's going on here…?_

Taking a final glance around the room to double-check for life, he spun on the ball of his foot and reached for his holster and sword which hung by the door and lay against the wall, respectively. He pulled the straps on hastily, a foreboding sense of danger rising inside him. His mind raced over the possibilities, before a wave of serenity shot through him. _A humming? Or…singing? _Gone before he could gather his thoughts he knew, _She's here_. The familiar sense of threat returned immediately, stronger than before, like a driven force to a wall. He shook his head, eyes wide as he reached for the door handle that drew him as a magnet. The instant his fingers touched the metal, alarm bells screamed loudly. He jumped a mile. The previously white lights turn a blood red as the same heat invades his body like a plague. _Again?!_

"_This is ShinRa—" _But he couldn't hear. That or he wasn't listening.

The mixing of sounds tore through his ears as he ripped open the door, having it slam loudly into a wall, denting it for sure, before searing through it, fingertips brushing against the hilt of his holstered sword. _Where is she?!_

The walls of corridors blurred around him as his legs pulled him through, the sounds of his footsteps echoed in his ears beneath the screams of alarms, spurring him further. Air plunged in and out of his lungs in a mild burn, drying his mouth as adrenaline forced him faster. The boy tried his hardest to keep his breathing in a steady rhythm, but to no avail as the feeling of a constricted chest pained him, begging him to stop.

He did not.

Doors to other sick rooms began to burst open, frantic nurses pleading for the ill to stay behind, some men being pulled back into beds, others spilling out, heading for elevators and stairs, willing to help their friends in times of need. Zack had no time to think of such. He burst through double doors and tore up stairs, more than two at a time. He heard screaming. _Frightened_ screaming. Louder and louder it grew as he flew through floors, gasping under the pains of pressure on his chest, heaving over the raging heat that began to consume him, _What's happening?! _But he half knew.

"Alcie?!" He cried, his voice rasping through his throat.

The alarms boomed louder and the red lights grew darker as he tore faster than he knew, picking up on the screams that drew closer, recognising them, "Where are you?!" He screamed desperately, frantically.

Gunfire. Alarms. Sirens. Yells. Screams.

"_Alcie?!_"

"…Zack?! Is that you?" She screeched, choking, crying. The sounds in her voice pulled him to a certain floor, bursting through doors down corridors, his vision becoming more and more impaired, "Help me…!"

"Where are you?!" He yelled, his eyes burning. Ears ringing. Mouth dry.

No response.

His pulse grew faster and faster, heart pounding against his ribs as though breaking through them. He wiped at beads of sweat and blood with his forearm, warmth seeping into his muscles. Burning sensations from lactic acid. His chest rising and falling rapidly, irregularly, under his shirt. His mind filled with panic, with terror, and fear of the unknown.

"_Alcie! _Speak to me!"

He choked on his breaths as he ran, the feeling long gone from his legs, running, running, flying as though on auto-pilot. Twisting through winding corridors like a labyrinth. The flooring seemingly stretching under his feet, getting nowhere fast, like a treadmill. Like _torture_. A ball of dread wound in his stomach, faster and faster the more he thought. Sharp breaths were causing light-headedness. His eyes were burning and dizzying. A headache shot through his skull.

"Please, Alcie! I can't hear you!"

"…Zack…" She cried weakly, her voice cracking.

_She's closer. She's here,_ he knew and in that minute, he tore around a corner and skidded to a halt. Not ten feet away, that's where he saw her. His heart stopped. His jaw fell. His eyes welled with tears, burning still like a fire. His breaths choked him.

She was tied up. Her wrist bound in rope behind her, cutting into her skin as they writhed in sweat and blood. Her ankles and knees were no better. Blood lapped her face from her forehead, dripping down like thick tears, swirling with real ones that escaped from her eyes, red and sore. Pools of orange and brown showed only overwhelming despair and fear. It was a kind of pain that was contagious, one that locked Zack in a tight hold. Nothing was worse though, than the fact she was suspended above the open, empty elevator shaft, captive by a collar of rope, held tightly at the front by a largely built man in a black suit, his face covered in sheaths of black. Her breaths were shallow, his grip just loose enough to allow her air. She held her head up high, to prevent choking, as she looked into Zack's eyes, her face stricken with fear. Tears streamed down her face, sobs escaping her throat loudly and sorely, echoing through the dark shaft.

Zack shot his gaze to his new adversary, usually soft eyes now glaring, worthy of cutting steel. Alarms continued to blare, threatening to split his eardrums as he took a step towards the man, drawing his sword, the tip just a foot from the man's neck. In response, the man made a grunt somewhere in his throat, in some sick form of mild amusement, before pulling a slim, ornate dagger from his inner suit pocket, and waved it in front of Alcie's face, shaking his head. It was times like these that Zack wished he had a longer sword like Sephiroth's or even Angeal's. He took a small step forward, pushing his sword toward the man's neck.

The twenty-two-year-old stopped abruptly when the man held the tongue of his blade to lick at her throat. Zack swallowed hard. He slowly brought his arm out to the side, and dropped his sword with a loud clang. He couldn't see his mouth, but he knew he was smiling. Zack gritted his teeth. His lips pursed. His eyes low in regret. _Powerless once again_. He balled his fists, shaking from head to foot, and shut his eyes tight, willing the burning to leave.

He only opened them at the sound of her fearful gasps and groans, shooting his gaze to meet her as the man pulled a thin line of blood across her neck, tearing her soft skin above the ropes. Not too thick, just enough to make her scream in pain. He was speechless. Tears ran down his cheeks. Pain stained his face with each one. Alcie sought out his stare, _Drowning in your eyes seems a good way to go. _Zack assumed he would be smiling again as he pulled back his blade, waved it toward the boy's stomach, before swinging it right around, stabbing through Alcie's flesh. Her stomach pouring with blood.

"ALCIE!" He sobbed, his voice obscured by his breaths and chokes, running toward her, distraught, crying as the girl's eyes widened in sheer pain.

"…Kill me," she begged, tears lining her face. Her expression harrowing. Pain and fear swallowing her whole.

"Alcie…no…_don't do this_…!"

"My pleasure," the man sneered, eyes glowering as he let go, sending the girl falling down the shaft, screaming. Her scream louder than the alarms, blood-curdling and frightening, pure terror in her cries, in her last breaths.

"NO!" Zack screamed, lunging himself toward the man. He threw a sharp punch the jaw, however, was caught, the man driving the still bloody knife into Zack's side.

_This isn't real…_

* * *

**A/N: …It's not over yet. I feel horrible for writing this. This cannot be the end…right?**


	9. Afraid Of The Morning

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: My babies! What have I done to them…? Let's just find out. It's okay. No character deaths…right? Just a LOT OF HEARTACHE ON MY PART. AH. My heart always aches when I write though…so. YES. I already have like, the entire of chapter 10 ready on my laptop but s'not ready yet. I needs to ask you a question, all! How long is too long for a chapter? 10000 words? 3000? No limit? Or do you think my chapters are okay ending naturally as they have been? I love you guys and please, enjoy the read! – Fearlessed x**

**Thought I'd reply to your reviews like I did on my other story, Tonberry, sooooo:**

**Zanarkand-Brotherhood: **Gut-wrenching indeed. I swear, I thought I was going to die while putting my beloved characters through such trauma D: Thank you for the consistent reviews!

**Alaxas78: **Thank you sooooo much, asdfghjkl;!

**Disclaimer: **You know what, Squeenix? I don't even want ALL of FFVII, I just want Zack! Pleeeeease…

* * *

**Chapter 9: Afraid Of The Morning**

**The _real_ morning****  
**

"_This isn't real!_" He inhaled sharply, his voice obscured by his breath.

He shot upright, eyes wide, slightly blinded by a familiar ray of sunlight, tickling his features. Warm. Gracious. The same light curtains of veil blew gently and freely as the crisp, February breeze played with its ends, winds slipping through the opened window, twirling in delight. The room was no longer still. The clock ticked regularly and the sounds of early birds and trains filled the room at a calm pace. Everything felt right again. His forehead teemed with sweat, a trickle falling to his eyebrow, which he wiped away with his forearm quickly. Slightly paranoid, he studied the back of his arm to check for blood. _No blood. Just sweat…okay_. He tipped his head back harshly, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He moved his lips to say 'Oh my Goddess', but only his breath escaped his throat. He spent the next few moments attempting to regain composure when he rediscovered the feeling of constriction around his chest. That feeling of being wrapped in plastic—that weight on his ribs, although, this time there was no unnerving sense of impending doom. So that was something. The fear and adrenaline began to leave his body, when he came to notice another weight, one that was shifting on his left arm. He closed his eyes briefly, breathing a sigh of relief. It was Alcie, stirring.

_He wasn't alone._

"Mrrrfff…Zack?" She slurred, lifting her head and leaving a pool of drool on the back of her hand, still clinging onto the boy, and in that second, her eyes snapped open wide, all traces of sleep gone as her eyes began to well slightly, shining in a bittersweet blend of delight and worry as she stared into his blue, "_Zack_! Are you okay?! How are you feeling? Oh thank _Goddess_, you're awake, Zack!"

The puppy-like glance he sent her was riddled with puzzlement as he gazed from her lips to her eyes, taking in the beauty in them that he saw, and finding pain in them somewhere, "…What?"

Her eyebrows sloped upwards in the centre showing her concern, "You passed out yesterday afternoon…! You had me so worried, you!" She spilled her feelings before she had a chance to stop herself, although, he didn't seem to pick up on it.

He swallowed hard, gulping down the urge to tell her…he thought she was dead. It felt so real. Almost_ too_ real. He lowered his gaze and Alcie must've noticed as she stood up, frowning lightly, her mouth fallen open just a touch, as she raised a hand to his forehead, checking his temperature and stealing back his gaze, "My Goddess, Zack," she gasped, "Do you have a fever…? Are you feeling okay?"

He pursed his lips, his usually playful eyes looking up to the girl showing worry, but…he wasn't worried about himself. It was something or rather, some_one_ else that he worried for. He nodded his head slowly, "I'm okay."

The eighteen-year-old crossed the room, heart beating fairly rapidly, to rummage through one of the medicine stands around the room. She furrowed her eyebrows while searching through various bandages, plasters and ice-packs, until she came across a sealed wet-wipe of sorts. Zack watched her, never taking his eyes off her, gathering his bearings, and considered pinching his skin to check for reality. Before he had a chance, the girl returned, pulling at the plastic wrapper with her teeth, silently cursing it for being so hard to open, before pulling out the damp cloth she was after, and dabbing gently at the young man's forehead. A headache clawed into the back of her skull with dirty talons, but she forced herself to dismiss it, and focussed on the puppy at hand._ Should've been a vet_, she mused, a ghost of a smile tugging on her lips.

"You should've," he smiled weakly, judging from her facial expression that she hadn't meant to say it aloud.

"Oh—ah…whoops," She scrunched up her eyes and nose at her mistake and mentally face-palmed at her bad habit._ You'll get yourself in real trouble one day._

"…You're alright…aren't you?" He asked somewhat randomly, refusing to remove his eyes from hers as she backed away to discard the towel.

"Am _I_ alright?" She half-shrilled, eyes wide, "Zack, you're the one who's lay in the hospital bed!"

He glanced down at himself, covered by white sheets and took note that he was rather shirtless under them, bar some bandages. _Yes_, he decided the bandages were causing his discomfort. His mind only spent a brief second on the matter though, as he was covered up to his underarms in blankets. The ghost of a smile tugged at his lips before he lifted his gaze to fall into orange eyes, allowing her to swim in his once again as she so desired. She melted into herself slightly, her heart fluttering madly at the sight. Tifa's words rang through her head like a drill, _'If you kiss him when he wakes up, I swear to you, that boy will kiss you back with every ounce and fibre of his being.'_

He looked at her, studying her, really checking she was okay. This…_dream_…really knocked him for six, and he struggled to get up again. His face was threaded with a troubled look when he reached to touch her, perhaps to ask her something, perhaps to _really_ test this reality, or perhaps to touch her face, when she stopped him, "Don't strain yourself," she instructed quietly, softly, as she gently wrapped her fingers around his wrist and set his hand down beside him, earning a small pout and curvature of his eyebrows in such a puppy-like way, she smirked lightly, "Don't look at me like that, you'll make me feel bad… They don't know if you're okay yet…"

"I…_feel_ okay…" he assured somewhat unconvincingly, as he winced at the roll of his shoulder.

"See! Stop that!" She cried worriedly, drawing a chuckle out of the raven-haired young man. She placed her hand on his shoulder as if to push it down, her touch familiarly burning his skin, cracking a smile on his lips. _This is real._

"Cee, look, I'm fine. I'm just a little, _ah_, ow…stiff," he lied. Poorly. His fidgeting causing his discomfort.

"A—at least let me give you a hand," she offered, helping him sit upright against the head of the bed. She rearranged his pillows behind him before he sat back, a half-shirtless, _very_ attractive Zack beaming at her. She couldn't stifle a grin as she looked away in mild embarrassment, her ears reddening slightly. She also couldn't help but notice how…well-defined his chest was. It was usually covered for the most part; his turtle neck uniform would only slightly hug his chest, as it was a tiny bit too big, and the rest of his gear would cover him up. But right now, the tight bandages hugged his chiselled features and his abs were very much on show. She really didn't want to stare and tried her very hardest to focus on his face.

Of course, being Zack, injured or not, had next to no shame, "You like what you see?"

"Oh Goddess, Zack," She dropped her head into her hands, half in disbelief and half to cover her blushing cheeks, shaking her head lightly, laughing all the same, "You really are one of a kind…"

"I know," he beamed, mischievously.

She was so glad to have him back. She smiled at him, cheeks red, looking into his eyes with that little more appreciation now, her own eyes sparkling in elation. He might be a cheeky chappy, but she'd much rather that than an unconscious one, of course. _His personality is just as appealing as his looks, maybe even more so…if that's possible. _Again, she could hear Tifa speaking in her head, but she'd convinced herself that if this was as real as the martial artist seemed to think, she'd know when the time was right. _It has to be right...it just has to be right! If it just happens…out of the blue…just right…I'd know for sure. So, I guess…I could be waiting forever—_

"—How long was I out?" He asked, unknowingly interrupting the girl's thoughts, forcing her mind to whizz.

"Uhh, umm…since around 1 o' clock-ish yesterday," She stumbled, fiddling with her fingers, backing up a step into a chair and plopping down on it with a small thump.

"What…happened exactly?"

"…Well, what do you remember?"

"We were stuck in the elevator…" A smile tugged at his lips, but he fought the urge to say what happened next in fear of embarrassing her, as cute as he thought she looked when she was, "Then we got down to the main entrance…I went off, right? I was fighting that Anti-SOLDIER weapon. I got hit pretty bad, I guess, 'cus the next thing I know, you're chargin' down towards me."

"…That's pretty much it. Not long after I got to you, you passed out…"

"How did I not die…? Who killed it?"

Alcie widened her eyes infinitesimally, _What do I say? Do I tell him I did it? But what if that worries him—he doesn't need to stress out…do I lie? Ohhh…lying doesn't sound nice… _"…I did it…"

Zack's eyes widened to their fullest, "WHAT?" _Damn it—shoulda lied._

"W—what did you want me to do, leave it to kill you? I don't think so. You're not getting off that easily."

He would've snorted had he not been so shocked, "You…killed an Anti-SOLDIER weapon?"

"…No?" She back-pedalled, unconvincingly.

"The hell'd you do to it?" He gulped, swallowing some hard fact or…something, pulse growing faster.

She darted her eyes to the window, "I—uh, I rammed it with a spear. Look, don't worry about it, 'kay? I'm perfectly fine."

"No you're not," he murmured, narrowing his eyes, before pointing to her neck, "What's that?"

"It's just a little scratch!" she laughed, blissfully unaware of Zack's troubles.

"…Did it…hurt?" He swallowed and blinked hard, perhaps he was blinking back tears. What she didn't know, was that the line that shot around one side of her neck, angrily, was painstakingly similar to the one he had witnessed occur in his dream. Some form of horror zapped him like a lightning bolt. Feelings from his dream returning to him. _Haunting_ him. He didn't want to say.

Noticing the tone of his voice change, the eighteen-year-old reassured him as best she could, "No, no, it didn't. I've had worse cat scratches, really."

He sniffed in mild amusement, a smile gently appearing, if small, while she went on, "Really. They itch like crazy. I can deal with this. I can't even feel it. The one on my face was wor—se…" _Shit_.

"What one on your face?" He asked, worry returning to his features. _Nice one, Alcie_, she scolded.

"Uhh…this one…" she reluctantly turned her side to the side, pulling he hair away with one hand and pointing to the slim, red line above her jaw with the other, there was no point in hiding it now, "Don't worry! It's okay! It's not bleeding and it's not hurting! Stop thinking about it!" She half-snapped. She hadn't meant to, it was just that she really didn't want this going any further where she sensed it was leading. It went there anyway.

"…How did you get that scar on your lip?" He questioned, unfazed by her minor slip. Actually, he hadn't noticed this scar until earlier that day; he must've missed it the first time they met. He pointed towards the slightly curled mark that began near the right of her chin, and curved to meet the corner of her mouth. It was a clean slice, clearly. He knew it wasn't from a punch—her lip hadn't split, no. The line was too smooth. Something had cut her, he knew. And she wasn't about to tell him what.

"…These?" She asked, pointing to her lip and right eyebrow. The twenty-two-year-old narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing on her eyebrow. Sure enough, there was a faint line there too, much harder to see, almost continual with the other, as though they'd happened…at the same time. She knew the question would rise eventually, as much as she wished it wouldn't, "It's…a long story," she forced out, closing her eyes, balling her fists in her lap.

He remained silent for just a moment until he spoke again, "It's okay if you don't wanna say," he smirked mischievously, shuffling in his bed somewhat uncomfortably before throwing his legs off to the side, "I'll get it out of you eventually."

"My Goddess, Zack, what're you doing?"

"Going for a stroll," he grinned, an impish tinge tugging on his face.

"But, Zack—!" She cried, standing up and rushing to the other side of the bed to aid him.

"I'm fine! Look!" The boy twisted his upper torso around in stretches, earning several cracks as he did, much to Alcie's distress, "Cee, I'm okaaaay! Don't worry about me!" He laughed, bouncing up and down in what Alcie could only describe as weird, white hospital pants, and socks, "After all, I'm Zack Fair," he beamed, memory flooding back, earning a wide grin from the girl.

* * *

"YOU DID _WHAT_?" Was Zack's reaction to hearing Angeal, Tifa and a rather panicky-looking Alcie telling him of the eighteen-year-olds recent job offer. That she had accepted. And really wasn't an offer anymore but a…well…_job_. Angeal had just said something along the lines of his referring the girl to Director Lazard and even to Tseng of the Turks, earning a loud bout of verbal diarrhoea. Needless to say, Zack was _very_ aware that he had no say in the latest recruit, "WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR, ANGEAL? IT'S DANGEROUS!"

"Why do you care so much?" Asked the taller raven-haired man, somewhat amused, standing at a fairly towering six foot four, Tifa's head almost a full foot beneath his. He was awfully muscular, perhaps even more so than Sephiroth and Genesis. Put together even. He had broad shoulders and could very clearly pack a punch. His black hair was slicked back except two slim bangs that fell either side of his face. One thing Alcie noticed, though, was how proudly he wore his uniform. His belt sat high and tight around his waist, his boots zipped up to their fullest and his combat pants tucked neatly inside them. His eyebrows were strong on his face and his chin was solid to match. Alcie thought he was kinda attractive; all these SOLDIER guys seemed to be, although he didn't look any younger than thirty, but she knew he probably was. He was tough and stoic, but something about him seemed approachable, perhaps it was his slight sense of humour.

"I—uh, BECAUSE—"

"—She's clearly very capable of handling herself. I was informed she helped clear some Wutaian Forces, and then proceeded to eliminate the Anti-SOLDIER monster, which I witnessed myself. You did too, I understand. Plus, it mustn't go unsaid, she seems to be able to manage the ever hyper-active Zack the Puppy. She's worthy of Sephiroth's title," his mouth quirked up at the corner in his amusement.

She took a step forward and placed a hand on his bare shoulder. He was fully dressed now, wearing his SOLDIER uniform, minus the shoulder guards and some of the belts. And believe me, the struggle of dressing Zack Fair is a story that Alcie may never tell again. Standing less than a foot away from him, the heat of his chest burning into the girl's own skin, attempting to pull a turtleneck shirt over his head while he's _insisting_ that the situation would be much improved if she were taking _off_ his clothes, is a situation that very quickly brought the blood to Alcie's face. And he loved every second of it, really. She rubbed his arm slightly in some offer of comfort, "Zack, look, it's only training—"

"—But, Ceeeee!" He whined, pulling a face of utter dismay, puppy dog eyes and all.

"I'll be fine! It's gonna be great!" She trilled, patting his arm lightly before beaming up at Angeal.

"But what if—?"

"—What if, what if," the brunette barmaid chimed in, "you have no say! She accepted the job it's too late! Now, will you help us move or not?"

"Ngh, sure…I'll help you move, but—"

"—No _buts_, Puppy!" The auburn-haired girl cheered loudly.

The taller of the men chuckled, "Here are your keys," he passed a small bundle of them over to Tifa, smiling, "I'm sure my puppy here will show you the way, if you can get him to stop sulking."

"Angeeeeal!"

"Zack, you're off-duty for a few days. Sick-leave whether you like it or not. Try not to move around too much, although I'm sure you'll proceed to ignore that. Just…try not to re-break your ribs…"

"You got it!"

"Good day, ladies, Puppy, I've got duties to attend to." And with that, he left room '017' and headed for the elevator.

"Okay, soooo," The red-eyed of the three turned her head around searching for a clock, "it's…almost one. We can move in a day, easy. Cloud's still at the bar waiting for us to get back," Alcie stopped listening, her gaze sent off past Tifa's shoulder, "between you, Zack, and Cloud, and your cars, we'll probably be able to do it in one trip. Two max. "

Zack nodded in agreement, mulling over how they should go about carting everything to and from when Alcie's sudden exclamation shocked him out of thought, "WAITAMINUTE!" She cried, eyes wide.

"What?" The other girl asked, cocking her head to the side briefly, furrowing her eyebrows. Zack doing no different.

"You said Cloud's there! You sa—You said Cloud's STILL there! He stayed the night! Didn't he?!" She trilled, bouncing up and down on her toes, pointing at the brunette childishly.

Zack widened his eyes in realisation having completely missed Tifa's slight slip-up. He raised his eyebrows and turned to the nineteen-year-old, a knowing grin on his lips. The barmaids face blew bright red in response, flying her hands to her hips and shooting to her tiptoes before fairly shrieking, "It's not like that!"

"That's what they all say, _Busty_," the youngest chortled as the martial artist became increasingly flustered.

"No! I'm serious! He came back late last night and helped me box up our stuff, Cee! I was cooking dinner and I asked if he wanted some, as thanks, you know?"

"Oh, _yeah_, I know, Teef. I know all about it," she mocked, nodding her head, winking with her thumbs up.

"Noo! After that, it was too late to go back so he crashed—"

"—In your bed with you beside him?" Zack guffawed loudly, holding his chest with his hand in mild discomfort.

"No! Guys! Stop it! He stayed in the spare room, okay?"

Not okay. The two continued to rip into Tifa almost the entire way back to the slums in Zack's Mako-powered motor, compliments of ShinRa, of course. The brunette threw the back door open and jumped in the backseat, her face in her hands, grinning madly whilst the other two continued to make stupid jokes and run off on tangents. Which they did a lot, to be fair.

Alcie smiled widely as she hopped in the passenger seat, rather excitedly. This car was really new. It was roomy, clean, and the engine was much quieter than anything else she'd known. The car didn't get absurdly hot like some she'd been in before, and it was faster. Quite simply, it was just _better_ than anything else. But of course it was, it was ShinRa's finest. Her brother's car was much smaller and all the other cars in Kalm Town were old and dirty, as they were used to cart the miners to and from the Mythril Mines past Chocobo Ranch. That's what her father was too, a miner. Most of the men from Kalm were. He'd go off for days at a time, forcing Alcie and Daniel to get along by themselves. Which they did, really. Alcie would never complain. She was happiest when he was gone but yet, deep down, she was angry her father wasn't there for them. But that man could never win in Alcie's books. No matter what he did. He was too disgusting. Too horrible, for her to accept.

The eighteen-year-old continued to marvel over the car and laugh with her friends. She turned around and smiled at Tifa, thinking of what a good time these people had given her already. How at home she felt, and how right it was that she was here. Surrounded by a new culture, new people and new friends. She glanced over to Zack and studied his face before he turned briefly to smile at her, _Friends, huh? You don't _kiss_ your friends, Alcie. You're not supposed to anyway. Not like…_that_, at least. So…what are we…?_ She lost herself in her thoughts then, while Tifa attempted to explain to Zack why a practical joke that consisted of replacing Sephiroth's toilet paper with sand-filled paper isn't worth his life. The eighteen-year-old pouted absent-mindedly, her head knocking into the window with a light thump as she gazed out of it. She noticed the pillar of Sector Seven draw closer in the corner of her eye, but she wasn't particularly paying any attention to it. She just continued to stare into a spot of nothingness, presumably. Completely absorbed in thought.

The stopping of the car didn't grasp back Alcie's attention, neither did the hearty laughs that came from Tifa as the boy stalled—not parked—_stalled_ his car, or the, "Close enough!" that he cried in his defence. It was the opening of the door her head was leaning on. A mildly surprised Zack staring at her while holding open the door, a wide eyed auburn-haired girl shaking her head in shock. She hopped out quickly, snapping herself out of her daze and smiled her thanks before taking the stairs to the decking surrounding the bar two at a time, and swinging the doors open, bursting through them, Tifa following close behind.

"Oh, CLOUD?" Zack yelled, almost painfully loud, forcing Alcie to wince. His voice bounced off the walls and floors of the fairly empty room, the tables pushed to the sides, the ones on the right holding a number of wooden crates, "I see your hunk of crap outside; I know you're here!"

The aforementioned blonde stumbled down the stairs, lugging the last of around sixteen or so boxes, only a tuft of hair sticking up over the case, grumbling, "Yeah, well, Fenrir wasn't exactly going to help us move boxes was it?"

The orange-brown eyed girl pulled a face, moving over to Tifa with an eyebrow raised, "Uhh…Fenrir?"

The barmaid chuckled, shaking her head with a hand on her hip, "His motorcycle."

"Oh, dude, you have a _bike_? That's so cool," the girl clasped her hands together and faced Cloud or rather…a walking box.

"Yeah," he laughed lightly, heaving said box onto a nearby table, and wiping his face with his arm, "Zack has one too but…Fenrir is _way_ cooler than that crap."

"HEY! My bike was _cheap_, okay? We've been through this, man. I had no gil! And it wasn't _my_ fault I smashed up my other bike and had to buy the one I have now."

"How was it _not_ your fault? You crashed into a pillar INSIDE the ShinRa building, Zack."

"WHATEVER!" Zack cried, vehemently trying to fight off a grin, sensing his near defeat, "CLOUD, YOUR CAR IS SHITTY."

The twenty-year-old, SOLDIER Third deadpanned, effortlessly, "My car may be junk but my chocobo is faster than yours."

Tifa almost split her sides whilst trying her hardest not to laugh at Zack's face, his eyebrows scrunched together and eyes so wide in shock she thought they going to fall out of their sockets. The raven-haired boy scratched the back of his head, "…I have no words."

"That's new," Tifa scoffed, earning a pout from the First Class SOLDIER member.

"…Was that a—a euphemism, Cloud…?" Was all Alcie could fathom before curling into a fit of giggles, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"N-no!"

"Maybe it's something they tried out together last night—"

"—HE WON THAT RACE."

" Tut-tut…the _one_ race you're _not_ supposed to win, Spiky—"

"—They found out I stayed the night then," the blonde said nonchalantly, the corner of his mouth quirking upward slightly.

"Yup—"

"—Ah-hah! You bet we did, Spiky—"

"—We know exaaactl—"

"—So you guys kissed, huh?" The martial artist asked, one eyebrow pulled up.

Alcie's mouth fell open in fair disbelief before she scrunched up her eyes and slammed her jaw shut in embarrassment and…exasperation? Not at Tifa. No. At herself. Her cheeks flushed furiously. The boy she shared the kiss with stood not five feet away from her. He turned to look at her face, unbeknownst to her as she was staring at Tifa, and chewed his lower lip slightly, smiling, before looking down at his feet. When the girl made an attempt to form coherent utterances, he looked up to her again, "I—we, it was—"

"—Mhmm, I know," the shorter girl grinned somewhat mischievously…like she was planning something, "C'mon, we haven't got all day, guys, let's get these boxes in."

Both Tifa and Cloud cleared out of the bar pretty sharpish, each with a box in hand, making their way to Cloud's car. After loading them, Tifa pulled back on Cloud's arm to stop him entering the bar again, "…Wait."

Alcie remained stood a few steps in front of Zack, facing away from him, her eyes fixated on a nail somewhere in the wooden floorboards. Maybe. Her brow was thoroughly furrowed, not that the raven-haired boy knew, and her lips were parted just slightly in thought. She swallowed loud enough even Zack could hear. He was first to break that silence, the smile gone from his face, as he reached and placed a hand on her shoulder, "…Do we need to talk about that—?"

"—_No_! N-no…I…"

"…Whenever you're ready…" he coaxed softly, rubbing her shoulder. She made a small noise of agreement in the back of her throat before shuffling out of his grip, making her way over to a table, and lifting a large crate that hid her face from him, her face red, eyes burning. Zack just stood for a few more seconds, biting his lip and shaking his head, before doing just the same. Tifa sighed and closed her eyes briefly before continuing back into the bar, knowing just what she needed to say to her friend later, to knock some sense into that auburn head of hers. Once all the boxes were set in place, Cloud hopped into his shitty little car, and Tifa jumped in Zack's, intending Alcie to then join Cloud, in general good grace so he wouldn't be alone. She did exactly that. Another little plan.

This needed fixing.

* * *

**A/N: How do you like the length of this chapter? Too short? Too…long? If this is too long you must've hated Chapter 5, haha o_o So guys, I love you bunches :) Thanks for reading.**


	10. Dance The Rain

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: Hello! It's been a week since I last updated, I think. Sorry about that! I've been pretty busy these past few days and haven't had the motivation to write, to be honest. This chapter isn't a filler (in fact, it's rather significant), but it's a bit of a break from the action. Next chapter we get back to that :). I wish you a lovely day. Smile – Fearlessed x**

**Reviewers! How I love you so!  
**

**Zanarkand-Brotherhood:** Thankies for the consistent reviews! And yes, in fact, this chapter is virtually all about the past, so you'll learn more now :)

**aillermoon:** I understand that OCs tend to be unpopular, so thank you very much!

**Disclaimer:** As it stands, I don't own anything. But trust me, I'm working on it. I'll let you know if there's a break-through.

_**For he who is frightened for my life. Thank you.**_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Dance The Rain**

Cloud had been tasked with lightening Alcie's mood, a task that he cleared particularly easily, actually. All he had to do was mention Fenrir, and he'd managed to unscrew the cap of insanity that is Alcie Lenna. Emotion rolled off that girl in waves, the blonde found. He enjoyed himself too, though; after all, she was interested in his motorbike and he got to have a good rant and a rave about it. He noted that both he and the girl who bounced in her seat next to him, were similar in a sense that they were both quite split in personality, though not excessively so. At least he wasn't the only complex soul in Midgar. They got on so well that Cloud even offered to teach her to ride a motorbike. All went fine, and in fact, the half an hour-ish that they spent together that day went by particularly fast for the pair. His job was done in the first five minutes.

Tifa's task was significantly harder. Cracking into a puppy's thick skull, finding out what he had to say, calming him down _and_ lightening his mood was a Behemoth of a task for one person. And Tifa didn't really like Behemoths. That said, it was easier than it could've been, as Zack himself was the first to speak. His eyes were set firmly on the road and his mouth took the shape of a thin line.

"…Tifa?"

The girl lifted her gaze from the road and passed the boy a somewhat concerned glance at the mention of her name. She didn't speak, but her acknowledgement was enough for Zack to continue, "…I had this dream…"

"Hmm?"

"When I was out. And, uh…I don't know…it, like, shocked me, you know?"

Tifa's face contorted through her confusion as she leant an arm on the lip by the window, "…No, Zack, I don't know. What happened in it?"

"It felt…_really_ real. Like, I thought it _was_ real, an' I was all confused when I woke up 'cus I thought what happened in my dream really happened an—"

"—Zack, stop, calm down. What was your dream about?"

He tapped a few fingers on his steering wheel, licking his lips in thought, "…I 'woke up' and everything was…weird, okay? Like, it was normal…but _not_ normal, that's like, the _only_ thing that tells me it's not real but I didn't _know_ it wasn't real..."

Uncertainty painted the barmaids face, but she remained silent, allowing the twenty-two-year-old to speak what came to mind, no matter how incoherent it was. He'd get there eventually, "I got outta bed an' there was this tight feeling around my chest…it was really overpowering an' I started panicking because somehow I just like…_knew_ something bad was gonna happen to Alcie…you know when you just kinda…_know_ things in dreams…?"

"…Yeah, I do," she assured, remembering a few of her own nightmares and pains. The worst kinds. The ones where you feel an unsettling sense of imminent disaster. The ones where despair consumes you. And the ones that make you glad you're alive when you wake.

"Yeah, but for a minute, I could hear this…_singing_…and I was really calm but then it went away and the feeling got worse—"

"—Cloud and I could hear Alcie…singing to you…when you were sleeping yesterday. Do you think that was it?"

"…She was singing…? It could've been, yeah. Anyway, uh, then the alarms started going off everywhere and the lights went red, just like in yesterday's attack, right? But again, I like, _know_ it's because of Cee but I…I _can't_ _find _her, I can only follow some screaming I hear. And then I realise…it was her screaming…and when I do find her…she's tied up and beaten, being held over the elevator shaft by some guy and when I try to kill him, he pulls a knife out and cuts a line in her throat," he explained slowly, his expression set and grave.

Tifa grimaced before rolling her head to face the boy, and fairly whispered, "Oh _Goddess_, Zack…"

He tightened his lips, nodding, "…It looked a lot like the cut she has now."

"…Maybe you saw it before you went out," she offered, tapping her chin in thought, "Maybe you didn't quite notice it—but your subconscious did—"

"—Maybe. But that don't explain why he _stabbed_ her," The girl sat slack-jawed, and could only shake her head in a mixture of disbelief and agreement, "…but then…she looked at me and she just…she begged me to kill her…take away her pain an'…I couldn't save her…so he…threw her down the shaft, Teef. An' it was crappy 'cus I felt this powerlessness that I felt in the elevator yesterday—and actually, thinking about it, she screamed the same scream…" He took one hand off the wheel to wipe his face free of grief, "I woke up a bit after that."

"…I guess that's been bothering you all day, huh?" She frowned, reaching a hand to rub her friends shoulder in support.

"Yeah, you could say that. Anyway, Teef, what I wanted to ask was…well, why? What's going on?"

"You're that…stupid?"

Zack turned his gaze away from the road for the first time since they got in, to stare at the barmaid in mock sadness, a large pout on his lips. She chuckled, "You like her!"

"Hell, I know that."

Although mildly taken aback by his uprightness, Tifa smiled to herself, _Of course, this is Zack_, before questioning, "Why haven't you told her then?"

"Teef, I kissed her. Don't you think she kno—"

"—No! She doesn't know, Zack! I tried to tell her! She doesn't necessarily think you _actually_ like her or wanna be with her, or whatever. She seems to think you guys just kissed in the spur of the moment."

"No, no…it was like…I suppose the event _triggered_ it—"

"—And that's _exactly_ what I told her—"

"—But, other than that…no. I wanted that to happen. I was _glad_ it happened…! Wasn't she…?"

"Oh, no, of course she was glad it happened. She's just…worried, I suppose, that you don't feel the—hmm..." She paused, ponder running across her face, "What did you feel when you kissed her, Zack?"

"Oh, _Goddess_, Teef. How do I answer that?" He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Get serious!" She yelled, impersonating the boy's former mentor, Angeal, earning a smile.

"Ugh…I guess it was like…she snuck up on me…I—ughhh, GODDESS, Teef, I can't do this! I feel stupid!" He whined, crinkling up his nose in aversion and waving off the other girl's chuckles, mock frowning.

"Zack, how long have I known you? I already know you're stupid, now carry on!" She laughed, straining to keep his mood lightened.

"…Agh, okay, look. Like I said…she crept up on me like, in the right moment. Almost as though I…needed her, right then. Like she was…missing before, but I didn't know she was missing before she came…? Uh…"

The barmaid chuckled, "I think I know what you mean. You're talking about when you were sat on that elevator—"

"—Uh, yeah. How'd you kn—"

"—You felt like, in that moment, there was nothing else _right_ to do. You knew what you wanted. And it was her—"

"—How—"

"—You kissed her, Zack, because you knew that you liked her. Because you knew what you wanted. And because she was _exactly_ what you wanted. You kissed her and you have no doubts. You have no regrets. Do you?" She smirked slyly.

"No but, Teef, for the Goddess's sake, how do you—"

"—Because she said the same thing as you."

"…Really?" He pried, a childish, somewhat pert grin on his face, with eyes bright in elation.

"Really. You need to talk to her about this," she instructed, shuffling in her seat and crossing her arms, relaxing, having said most of what she needed to say.

"You heard her, she don't wanna talk—"

"—It's not that she doesn't _want_ to talk, Zack. She doesn't know how to start or what to say."

"What have I gotta do then?"

"…You've gotta…you've gotta kiss her again, Zack."

"I like this plan," he straightened himself up, grinning from ear to ear.

The barmaid laughed outright, "I bet you do. Look, just…kinda play it by ear. She'll wait until the chocobos come home if you don't give her a 'right moment'."

"How am I supposed to give her that?!"

"I don't know, you'll come up with something. And it'll happen, I promise you. She's just waiting for some other kind of trigger to make _something_ happen again."

"That was vague."

Tifa laughed, clasping her hands together in her lap, "You'll know yourself when the time is right, I'm sure. She just wants something to happen again. She thinks if it happens again, that must mean it's real, is all."

"She doesn't think it's real…" he pulled a face in thought, "I'll talk to her. Tonight, even. I have to see her alone again."

"Right!"

* * *

The apartment that had been chosen for the girls to live in was in a different building to that of which Zack and Cloud lived. The complex the boys lived in was for SOLDIER members mainly, however, their buildings were connected on certain floors by long corridors that looked as though they were suspended in the air. All of the many buildings and apartment complexes were hugely tall, but nothing compared to the main attraction of ShinRa Headquarters that dominated the skyline.

They found that the floor their apartment lay on was quite high, and Zack had tried to convince them that was a 'good thing', and to 'trust him'. The nineteen-year-old barmaid struggled to believe him though; dragging heavy boxes up so many floors with elevators or not was no easy task.

Regardless, when they finally made to the correct floor for the first time, both girls were pleasantly surprised. Unlike anything they'd seen before, each floor held only four apartments, each door on an angled corner of the square-shaped room. In the middle, there was a hole in the floor that lay sheathed in glass, allowing you to step on it and stare down into the floors below. Alcie, being the child she is, couldn't suppress her squeals of praises as she stood in the centre of the glass, peering down below. Tifa marvelled over it too, however, she only leaned toward it, in fear of people below being able to see up her skirt. Smiles played on the faces of all those in the room, particularly a certain twenty-two-year-old, who watched the white light that surrounded the glass dance over an auburn-haired girl's face. She shot her head upwards to study the floors above before her gaze fell to meet Zack's eyes, hers bright in admiration as excitement ran across her face.

Their spirits weren't at all dampened when they entered their apartment for the first time either. Tifa was first, her eyes darting immediately to the right, spotting her brand-new, open-plan kitchen before gasping in awe. It was the kind where, it led off from the living area, but there were no walls to section you away, just counters where you friends could sit on bar stools and chat. Tifa was a great cook, after all, and loved cooking for her friends, yet thought it sucked when she'd have to abandon them for ages, cooped up in a steamy kitchen all by herself. She wouldn't have to leave them now though, as just past the counter, across from the angled door, lay two cream-coloured sofas sat in front of a television and coffee table.

Alcie darted through the door as soon as there was enough room between the wall and her friend to fit through, and what came to her attention first was how open the space was, the living and kitchen area over to right left a fairly spacious section in front of the door, that Alcie immediately assumed would be good for training. The ceilings were a good ten foot high, the room light and airy.

Dropping her box to the floor with a loud thump on wooden flooring, the orange-eyed fairly bounced over to the far wall, to open each of the three doors in turn, revealing a bathroom and two bedrooms. Tifa and Alcie unanimously agreed who got which bedroom, the barmaid taking the one in the centre, with a fireplace and dusty-pink walls, Alcie choosing the far right room, with the bay window and built in bench, one that reminded her of her own back in Kalm. Luckily for them, the apartment came with a wide range of furniture and all they really had to do was put their own stuff in with it. Not that Alcie had anything.

It took them awhile but by about half past five, they were done.

"THANK GODDESS THAT'S OVER," the auburn-haired girl heaved a sigh of relief, collapsing her frame down onto one of the cream settees, "_Whyyyy_ did that take us so long?"

"Alcie, it took us _three hours_ to get all the boxes up here 'cus you two kept makin' jokes and taking fifteen minute breaks to make food every time you worked five!" The pokey-headed blonde retorted, smiling lightly, waving a finger between a pair of guilty-looking youths, one grinning wildly at the other while she bit her lip and widened her eyes—impudently.

"Hey! I'm no member of SOLDIER, guys! I need my breaks! I'm weak! It's not my fault!" She roared in mock terror with her hands in surrender, lifting her knees to cover her face.

"And what's your excuse?" Cloud plopped down on the other couch before nodding his head in the coal-haired boy's direction.

"Uhhm…sheefshicks?" He mumbled in his defence as he stuffed his mouth with food.

"Attractive," the twenty-year-old replied dryly.

A certain brunette popped up from behind the counter and took one of Zack's many cheese sticks from his plate, "How great is this apartment, guys?!" she cooed, choosing to ignore the look of utter discontent from the puppy sat on a stool on the other side of the surface as she ate his food.

"It's awesome! Teef, we have a living room that _isn't_ a bar. Tifa. Look. _Sofas_, Tifa!" She leaned over the back of the couch to face her friend, running her hands over it mock sexually, in good humour, "We get to be normal people for a change!"

"You're kidding, right? You're the least normal one here," she scoffed before she passed a glance towards Zack in time to watch him force five cheese sticks in his mouth at once, half sticking out, forcing her to change her answer, "Okay…second least normal one here."

He would've whined but he really couldn't in his current situation, what with five rather large cheese sticks poking out of his mouth. He nearly fell off his stool when Alcie bounced up from her seat and bit half of one off, her face inches from his. It was all in one swift move, and Zack didn't know what hit him. Cloud and Tifa could only laugh at the expression that lined his eyes in many shades of shock.

"…How about…we all stay here for dinner? I'll order some pizzas and we can make a night of it?" Tifa suggested, checking the time.

"…That sounds good," the SOLDIER Third agreed.

When the raven-haired man finally managed to swallow his food, he cheered, "I'm up for that! But if we're stayin', d'ya mind if I go home an' change my clothes? These bandages are irritating and I don't wanna be wearin' my uniform anymore," he screwed up his nose in clear distaste.

"Oh, no, that's fine. You wanna do the same, Cloud?" The barmaid queried, good-naturedly, noting that he, too, was wearing his SOLDIER uniform. Cloud's, though, wasn't black like Zack's. His was a light blue hue, signifying his rank in the elite force of warriors.

"Yeah, actually, okay."

"Right then. Back here for seven?"

"That works."

Tifa followed them to the door, exchanging goodbyes, but before Alcie could wave them off, the nineteen-year-old fairly slammed the door shut, pushing her weight into it and pulling a face of mock vexation. The younger girl tried to hide her roguish grin, and failed miserably, "What've I done now?"

"_You didn't kiss him_, did you?!" She fairly shrieked under a whisper, fearing the boys with SOLDIER hearing would be able to catch her otherwise.

"I—Gah. _Nooo_. It wasn't the right time, Teef!"

"Cee, you have to talk to him."

"…I know, but—"

"—No, no. No buts. Don't think about it, just do, okay?"

"I never think before I do, what're you talking about?" She scoffed, smiling, yet her eyes downcast.

"I know…but you think before you say. Don't you?" The brunette asked, although it was more of a statement. Her footsteps filled the empty air as she stepped forward towards the auburn-haired girl that sat on the back of the couch.

"I…_yeah_. You're good, like, wow, what _are_ you?" She sneered, hopping off her 'seat' and reaching for one of the cheese sticks that were left on Zack's plate.

The nineteen-year-old laughed in response before casually watching her friend eat, "Oh and yeah, what was that about, huh? The whole eating outta his mouth thing!"

"I did _not_ eat out of his mouth; I bit the end off of his cheese stick. Thereisadifference," She rushed through her last words, chuckling, silently wishing Tifa to not make a comment about biting cheese sticks. She mentally facepalmed at the thought.

"But still! Come on, that was insanely cute."

"It was not—"

"—Yes it was! So," she veered the conversation off in a total U-turn, "if you didn't kiss him this morning, what _did_ happen?"

"Oh. Yeah, that's right, I didn't get to tell you. Uh. He woke up—"

"—No," she retorted sarcastically, rolling her eyes and grinning.

"Yeah!" She chortled, going along with her friend's sardonic remark, leaning back onto the settee, "Uhh, no, I didn't kiss him. He didn't…look well enough. He was all sweaty and stuff… The nurse said he didn't have a fever or anything, and he seems fine now, right? So…that was a little worrying."

"I can imagine."

"Yeah, an' then…he kept asking me if I was okay, like, he looked so genuinely fearful about…_something_. I don't know what. Umm. So, yeah. That was pretty much it."

"…I have a question."

"Shoot," she rolled on the balls of her feet, leaning into the sofa.

"How did he get dressed this morning…?" A smile pulled on the corners of the brunette's mouth harshly, as she tried her hardest to stop herself smirking.

"Oh my _Goddess_, Teef. It was _most_ embarrassing. I could literally _feel_ the blood surging to my face, n'ugh… Okay, like…I was trying to put his shirt on—and bear in mind his face was like, here," She exclaimed, pushing her palm into her nose in _minor_ exaggeration, "and he keeps smirking at me—telling me that it'd be more fun if I were taking off his clothes an—"

Tifa's uncontrollable snickers interrupted the girl before she launched into unruly guffaws as Alcie scolded her, "No, no. _Do not laugh_. I nearly had a _stroke_. But then—then I actually _did_ have to take his clothes off 'cus I had to get his hospital pants off…and, oh my Goddess, that was the scariest thing ever. And he's like, stood there, absolutely perfectly cool with this and there I was _dying_. He was wearing boxers though, so I consider myself lucky."

"Lucky? You wouldn't have been happy if he wa—"

"—NO! BECAUSE _I_ HAD TO DRESS HIM, TIFA! THAT WOULD'VE BEEN EVEN _MORE_ EMBARRASSING. How would you have felt if it were you and Cloud, huh?" Tifa muttered her agreement while the eighteen-year-old continued on, "Which raises a _most_ important question; what happened between you guys? I haven't been able to talk to you about it 'cus of the raid and then the unconscious Puppy and all that afterwards. Spill!"

Tifa sighed lightly, smiling wistfully before pulling herself on the counter, leaning her legs on a stool, "…We talked a while and caught up. He told me why he left Nibelheim…he left…to get me to notice him—"

"—Oh my Goddess, that's so sweet."

"Yeah, it is…anyway, he got to Midgar eventually, took him a while though, and he didn't join up right away. But when he did, he climbed the ranks of the infantry, not making it to SOLDIER for a while. He met Zack on a mission, and since then, they've been best friends, really. Zack mentored him, and that's how he got referred to SOLDIER and…that's where he is now."

"Oh, okay, that makes sense. There's a lot of SOLDIER Thirds that are between eighteen and twenty-one aren't there. Wow…that really puts in perspective Zack's potential, right? He was…eighteen when he hit First, you said?"

"Yup. That's right."

"…Then why'd he get so beaten up by that Anti-SOLDIER monster…?"

"I think…his mind was preoccupied," she grinned, somewhat knowingly—much to the younger girl's discontent.

"…No…no, don't you going saying stuff like that. No, no. Not thinking about me. Oh Goddess, that makes me feel so bad," she wailed, letting herself roll forward to her feet and start pacing around, "Okay. Okay."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Cee. He clearly doesn't blame you. 'Sides, Angeal said that thing wasn't normal. Said that it wasn't like all the others. He told me that they shouldn't have sent Zack really, as he, while awesome at what he does, is still inexperienced compared to the other Firsts, and that that thing probably would've wiped out half of the other Firsts too. Zack only lived because you were there."

"…He must've weakened it a hell of a lot though. I couldn't have done it alone. An' I was working on pure fear and adrenaline. Nothing more," She stopped her whining and slammed her hands down on the counter, grinning audaciously, "Hey! We've gone off on a tangent! What's going on with you and Cloudy?!"

"Okay, look. We decided to…get to know each other again…and see where it takes us."

"But he likes you, right?"

"Hee-hee. Yes. So, we're kinda dat—"

"WOO-HOO! I KNEW IT," She threw her arms in the air in triumph, almost losing her balance and falling off the couch.

Tifa laughed outright, her cheeks slightly flushed, though not out of embarrassment. She smiled before speaking again, "Hey, you should go take a shower and get dressed."

"Into what? It's not like we're going anywhere—"

"—Make a little bit of an effort, Cee!" She scoffed, "Look at it like a double da—"

"—Zack and I are _not_ dating," she declared, waggling a finger in Tifa's face as she jumped off the counter, smoothly.

"We'll see about that," She grinned cheekily, pushing Alcie in the back, "Go on, shoo, go get ready!"

"AGHHHH, you _meanie_!"

* * *

"Would it pain ya to be on time?" She beamed insolently, slapping the tall SOLDIER member in the face with a tea-towel as soon as the door opened wide enough.

He replied with only a shit-eating grin before pushing her out of the way by quite simply, walking right into her, a mouthful of Zack's chest distorting her cries for help, 'You ass! What are you doing?' ended up sounding startlingly similar to, 'MmmNAGH! Whudumm yew doah?" and Cloud could only assume that's _not_ what she said.

She lost her balance when he led her into the back of the sofa, sending her flipping over the top. He somewhat strategically grabbed her hand so when she fell, she landed with her head hanging off the couch, her ass where it should be, albeit in the wrong direction, and her legs flailing wildly. He fairly guffawed before crashing down next to her, casually asking, "Whatcha doing down there?" before his shit-eating grin returned as he waved to Tifa.

She lay motionless while Tifa and Cloud laughed, her face burning red from the blood-rush. The next sixty seconds consisted of a laughing Zack receiving a kick to the hip by accident as a giggling, orange-eyed girl attempted to re-right her orientation, which was surprisingly hard, considering how flexible she usually was. Amongst her struggles, she managed to call out, "Howwww is this even possible?!"

Her limbs were seemingly spread in every feasible direction and as funny as he thought it was, he felt just a _little_ bad. He reached an arm out and pulled one of her ankles toward him, allowing her to push herself up from there. She uttered her thanks before he spoke, "You okay there?"

"I am most fine, thank you," she said nonchalantly, as though nothing ever happened. She was quite good at that, doing something completely strange and out of the ordinary and continuing on like nothing happened. Except when it came to Zack, _maybe_. But he was different, she would insist, he'd go out of his way to embarrass her. But, you know, she kinda liked it. She smiled at him, dusting his body with her gaze as she observed his clothes. Nice and simple, as always. He wore a plain, black, Y-neck shirt with sleeves that reached his forearms and dark jeans. He looked good. She absent-mindedly screwed up her face, scolding the Goddess for making it so that guys could walk out in whatever they can find and still look good, when girls could spend hours and end up looking like a Goblin. _Not fair._

"Gaia to Alcie!" Called the barmaid, snapping the girl out of her thoughts, surprise etched in her eyes with a hint of 'whaaaa?' The older of the two cheered at the break-through, "Back from the Promised Land, at last! I said, what pizza do you want?"

"Oh…oh, _damn_, I nearly missed the best part. Uhh…yeah, no, I don't care," she grinned like a Dorky Face, "I'll eat anything, really. Just…_food_."

"'Kay, I'll just get the ones you guys want then—Cee and I will just eat yours," She laughed, assuming Zack probably wasn't so keen on sharing his food, which he wasn't, "twenty-four slices of pizza, Zack. I'll only eat three I should think. Then there's your sides—look, you're not gonna go hungry, Zack!" She cried, despondence riddling her voice when he refused to give up his pout. Unfortunately for him, he missed Cloud lift a cushion and lob it at his face, promptly removing his smirk. Deadpan.

"CLOUD."

Tifa, sensing a full-scale war between the insane was about to break out, took her PHS from her pocket and punched in a number while stumbling over dismembered limbs that lay on the floor. Wait…wait. Nooo, that was just Zack having tripped over the coffee table, landing ass over tit, a pillow now half-suffocating him, the same pillow that came surging towards his face at ungoddessly speeds. Alcie was fairly sure that it must've burnt his face. Maybe it didn't though, as the boy, face still covered by a rogue cushion, not-so-inconspicuously flicked the blonde the finger, said blonde grinning like a maniac in his easy victory.

"Spiky, you—"

"—Yeah, uhh, hi there, can we get a—"

"—OH, YES! YES! RIGHT THERE!" The auburn-haired girl started screaming, a little feverishly, you might say, much to Zack's surprise. He looked positively bug-eyed as he threw the cushion off his face, the gil dropping a little too slow, but Cloud caught on.

"TIFA! COME BACK TO BED!" The SOLDIER Third called.

"NOTHING MAKES ME HORNIER THAN RUBBING PIZZA ON MY NIPPLES WHILE DANCING ON TABLES IN BARS WITH STRIPPERS."

"Now you're just getting weird."

"Shut it, Spiky. Weird is wonderful!" She bellowed, prancing around on her tiptoes, trying _not_-so-hard to not land on Zack who remained sprawled on the floor.

Tifa placed a hand over her PHS briefly, "I hate you guys. Sorry about that—it's just my crazy roommate and her insatiable need to cause trouble and headache."

"HEY! _NO_! It's _perfectly_ satiable! It's just like, I prefer to cause even more havoc because—"

The man on the other end of the phone must've asked if this were a party, as Tifa nearly choked on her water, "No, this is a regular night in. _Really_."

* * *

"Ready, set, SEX, Spiky. Kitchen counter, couch, or on top of the dryer?" A raven-haired young man roared from his seat on the couch, his elbows on his knees as he ate his beloved pizza.

"Duude. Dryer. Isn't that a no-brainer? Oh, wait, only if it's on though because—"

"—Yes, yes, okay, Blondie, we get it! We don't need no details," the eighteen-year-old cried desperately, laughing and scoffing down a handful of fries in THE most un-ladylike way.

"Alright, then. Suit yourself," he smirked, "you're up, Red."

"RED?! I'm not THAT angry!"

"Need we remind you of what JUST happened regarding Zack saying the forbidden phrase 'Alceeya later'?" The barmaid chimed in mischievously.

"…That's different."

"S'not different—"

"—Is too. Look, I blow hot and cold, okay?"

"Oh, we know. You're up!" The blonde reiterated, steering the conversation away from a tangent.

"Hmmmm…okay. Zack! If you could have a penis for a day, what are five things you'd do?"

The twenty-two-year-old innocently looked up from his pizza, previously minding his own business, and bit back the smile that proceeded to pull on his face. While his eyes clearly showed every shade of surprise, he looked very genuinely entertained, "Whaa—aat?"

"Oh my Goddess. That burn—"

"—Anyone got any Ice Materia? That needs cooling—"

"—MY PIZZA!"

Alone in the middle of the table, still in its box, lay the last remaining piece of pizza. Sure enough, war was about to break out between red and yellow. Having hearing the exclamation, four pairs of eyes darted to the lone slice. One was disinterested, and sat back in her seat ready for absurdity to explode before her, while three hands rushed forward at great speeds. A certain SOLDIER First getting his hands on it.

"Zack," the girl snarled in menacingly low tones, "you _will_ hand over that pizza…"

"I will. I have no interest in eating this. I just thought it'd be fun to annoy you both," his grin was maliciously playful and dark, oddly endearing to the girl.

"ZACK!"

"Now, look, I'm going to give this to one of you. State your arguments."

Cloud spoke first, "Dude, I'm hungry. I know things. I know _many_ things about you, Zack. You wouldn't want the whole of Midgar to find out about the time you—"

"—AND SPIKY GETS IT!"

"BUT HEY! NO! NO FAIR!" Alcie stropped loudly, standing up with the two boys, "GUYS. LOOK AT ME. I'M WASTING AWAY!" She lifted up the brown-coloured, oversized sweater to her ribs, being as careful as she could to remain decent. Zack tried his hardest to divert his gaze from her hips, failing quite miserably, as he watched her hip bones that just slightly protruded from her flat stomach as she stretched on her tiptoes, "I NEED MY NUTRITION!"

"You expect a good nutrition from pizza?"

"BUT CLOUD. _Honey_. You don't appear to understand," she dropped her sweater to have it hang below her short, black shorts again, and mock snarled (okay, maybe she was a _little_ serious), "There is a certain time of the month when pizza is VITAL in pulling me through the day. If I do not eat this piece of pizza, Cloud, I _will_ become the red, angry, Behemoth of Rage that is pent up inside me. And believe you me, Cloud, your life will sink into an endless pit of Hellfire, courtesy of Ifrit and the ever almighty Summon of Hades. You will become a small, snivelling, cowardly little—"

"—Give her the pizza, Zack."

"Thankies! Love you, Cloud!" She chirped in glee, clasping her hands together.

Zack eyed the piece of pizza, suppressing the urge to grin, "What if I changed my mind?"

"You would not—"

"—Zack, it's not worth your life," The martial artist added from her point on the couch.

"Try me."

"Oh my Goddess, Zack," she trilled, fairly high on…air by this point, giggles distorting her voice and breaths, "You do not even—No," she virtually jumped onto the boy, his pizza-wielding arm waving high in the air as she clambered on him, trusting he'd hold her weight just fine—which he did, "I will punch your teeth _so_ far down your throat that you'll have to shove your tooth brush up your _ass_ to clean them, Puppy!"

The boy just laughed at her, somewhat provoking her, and the auburn-haired girl promptly reacted by pushing a hand on his mouth, using him as some kind of unconventional handhold. He licked her hand, resulting in a high-pitched shriek and a loss of balance. He fell back onto the sofa, laughing as she sat on top of him, pizza in mouth, cheering her songs of victory. He could only smile like an idiot as she leaned back on him like he was her throne. Or her bitch. Depends on who you ask.

Once she'd eaten her prized pizza, Cloud stood to help Tifa tidy up. Zack could only watch, "I'd help but," he motioned a circle with his head around Alcie, "She's heavier than she looks."

Cloud's jaw hitched very slightly, half-expecting the orange-eyed girl to flip a shit and punch the First Class SOLDIER member in the nose and was somewhat shocked when she only agreed, "I'll give you that—heavy bones or somethin'" she beamed, kicking her legs, heels landing between the gaps of Zack's.

What she didn't notice, in her lack of observational prowess, her barmaid friend passed the twenty-two-year-old a somewhat knowing look and smiled lightly, nodding infinitesimally. He grinned. _Time to go_. He slipped his hands under the girl's knees and lifted her in her seated position, "WHA—AH! Well this is new," she marvelled, impassive.

"Come on. You gotta see why your building's so good."

He fairly dropped her once they left the room, earning a large pout through her excitement. He took her hand, laughing, and led her to the one of the small elevators and punched in the top floor. The room opened up to some kind of generator room, with a set of stairs and an emergency exit. The boy of 6'1" threw the door open, water from puddles gushing through as he stepped into the rain. He stared into the heavens, rain in stair rods assaulting his skin, before he held his hand out, "Aren't you coming?"

"But…we're gonna get soaked!" She laughed, skipping out anyway.

"Look…" He pointed a finger over into the distance.

"…Wow…" was all she managed to say. The black sky held a purple tinge, stars stretching across as far as the eye could see, dusting the night with lustre and bliss. Silence fell upon the air, the loudest of silences, the kind where you know, no one will hear you for miles. Only the rain could be heard. Two of the nearby Mako Reactors spilt green and blue high into the air, tendrils dancing, shining a gentle glow all around. But what was the most amazing, was the way it lit the rain, ribbons of green and blue floating in the air, curtains of light swaying and dancing. Another one of Midgar's many unique phenomena.

"We call 'em…Lifewaves," he said softly, "because…well…it looks like the Lifestream has come to play. It only happens when it rains really hard an' it's dark. I just…wanted to show you…" he scratched the back of his head nervously, his wet hair fell heavier than usual, and his clothes began to hug his frame.

"…I'm glad you did…" she marvelled, awe twirling in her irises, "Zack, it's…beautiful," she stepped past him, slowly drawing nearer the end of the roof, one foot in front of the other.

He watched her, the greens of the sky highlighting his eyes as he traced her frame delicately. He took a few steps towards her, trance-like and curious. But his eyes fell to her feet as her knee-high booted toes met the edge of the roof. She turned to face him, stealing back his gaze before she smiled playfully, holding her hand out to him as she leant her weight off the side.

He shot his hand to meet hers, their fingers melting into a soft embrace before she reached for his other hand. She teetered on the edge of the concrete, smiling mischievously, dare etched in her eyes. He could only laugh, shaking his head lightly in mild disbelief as she bent backward into a bridge-like pose, relying on Zack to hold her up.

"You're not…scared?" He chuckled somewhat distractedly.

"Not scared of _dying_. Sure, I don't wanna die—but I'm not afraid," she claimed, matter-of-factly, leaning back further, rain pelting on her skin.

With a sharp tug of his arm, he pulled the girl back up to stand—perhaps he lost his nerve. Regardless, their faces sat just inches away yet again, just rain falling between them. Though she smiled, her eyes were crestfallen. She turned away from him, taking a deep breath, moving wet hair from her face.

"…They told me you stayed with me all night…thanks."

"Huh? Oh, Tifa told you?" He nodded his head in response, and she continued, "…Didn't want you to wake up alone or afraid…"

"Me? Afraid? No way!"

"Ha. Well. You might think you're never afraid. But…some things are too much for us," she said fairly absent-mindedly, thinking aloud maybe, "Point is…waking up alone…scared…in pain…isn't a nice feeling, okay?"

He lowered his eyes and parted his lips, "I know…" he murmured, recalling his feelings from his dream, "I'm glad…that you were there."

The auburn-haired girl spun to face him and rolled her head to the side, eyes on his feet, before his voice brought her gaze up, "You…sang…to me?"

Her mouth gaped slightly and she lifted a hand to cover it, "…Yeah. It was just somethin' silly, I guess. It…was what my Mother used to sing to me…I used to sing it to my brother when he got sad an'…I sing it to myself sometimes too," her laugh was lack-lustre as she shook her head.

"…It was comforting," he muttered, remembering what wave of calm rushed through him, that night.

Alcie's face crinkled into one of a quizzical expression, "You were sleeping; how would you even know?"

"I heard it in my dream—well, it wasn't like I heard it, I kinda…felt it, I suppose. I don't know, forget it," he ushered awkwardly.

"…I…used to feel it too…when I slept. I know what you mean…but that's…strange…"

"Your Ma sings to you when you sleep then?"

"...Well…she used to sing it when I got frustrated or upset—I've always been kinda bad at controlling myself," she laughed quietly, "But…she's dead now," she said straightforwardly, her voice void of _detectable_ emotion, her fingers curling.

Zack's mouth feel open, "I'm sorry, I didn't know—"

"—I know you didn't. It's fine," tears welled up in her eyes as she thought through what she could tell him, "Zack, I—I don't even know where to start—"

"—You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No. No, it's time I voice this. Are you…willing to listen?"

He could only nod. He briefly measured the girl's personality, she was so…trusting, and yet that completely contrasted how he thought she should be after she told him what she did over the next few minutes.

"Phew…Okay," she sat herself down on the edge of the roof, her legs dangling freely over the drop as she turned to gesture for the boy to join her, "Almost eleven years ago…my Mom died in a car…_accident_. I was seven. My brother, Daniel, he'd just turned six. My Mom was…the most amazing woman. I suppose most people would say that about their moms though, but…yeah…she was kinda young when she had me, I guess. She was…twenty-three? That's only a year older than you, right? And I know I'd _never_ want children at twenty-three—maybe I was an accident. But…I don't think so. She was…everything I could ever wish to become, you know…? She was everything I'm not…really…"

Mild despondence filled the twenty-two-year-old's eyes, he thought that was a harsh thing to say about yourself, after all, _you're you and that's all that matters_. Maybe he should've said that out loud. Although, it probably wouldn't have changed the shape of the conversation, no. That was predetermined. But, they didn't know that.

"If only…I could be just _half_ the woman she was, Zack, I'd be more of a lady than most…" _Maybe one day_, she thought, "She was strong…she was so strong. Hmpf…I mean, she managed to put up with my Dad for years. I don't know how. I don't…know _how_!" She forced through gritted teeth, frustration screaming through her eyes.

"…What do you mean…'put up with'?" He asked, settling an arm around the girl as she shook violently.

"My old man…the dictionary definition of a _dickhead_, he…Zack…he used to…used to…" _When was the last time I said this_? She didn't know, she just balled her fists, "He used to beat us, Zack…"

His mouth fell open again, blends of disbelief, sadness and maybe even anger swirling through his eyes. _You'd never know…never know_, he couldn't understand how she managed to hide this daily. Neither could he tell if tears were falling down her face amongst the rainfall. He bit down on his lip hard before speaking, "…You've been so str—"

"—_Don't even say it_," she snapped. Zack was sure her eyes would be tearing through him with sharp blades, if it were possible, "Zack. Nothing about this is strong. I ran _away_! I abandoned my brother when he needed me! I left him there…completely alone. _Do you_ _know_ that feeling of guilt? It's a feeling that never vanishes, Zack! _It never goes away_! I can't shift it!" She screamed, a single droplet of her misery tearing through her eye, ushering a hot torrent of grief to assault her face, mingling amongst the cold of the rain.

The twenty-two-year old slammed his eyes shut, _Nicely done_. Speechless, he shook his head, regretting his words. The girl forced a fist into the concrete floor beside her, a dull thud flooding their ears as she did. Blood on the ground where she had. No pain. But she sobbed.

"He's a dirty drunk, Zack. A filthy, _disgusting_ human being! And yet, _HE_ _didn't_ _die_!"

"What do you mean…?"

She stood to her feet, choking on her voice, choking on her tears, choking on her past. She could only scream, "HE _KILLED_ HER!"

The girl screamed out her heart, bleeding the salt of her life from her eyes. Willing something to stop her pain. **Pain. Blood. Toxin. And grief.** Her screams of distress were lost in the winds and rain, only Zack was to hear. Only Zack to stop her falling. Literally. She was to crash to her knees, although her feet were right on the edge. He sprung to his feet to latch an arm around her waist and pull her back a step. She was unfazed. She continued to scream and cry. Something she should've done a long time ago. She scratched for and gripped onto Zack's wet shirt with an iron vice, and dug her face into his neck. He shook his head, eyes closed and tightened his grip around her waist with both arms. So tight…like he'd never let go.

"It was…all his fault, Zack!" She wailed into his neck, the river she cried flowed ragged currents and burnt deeper than merely his skin, "He was drunk—he drove an' it killed her an'…an' _he_ _walked away unscathed! _And I…_hate_ him for it…!"

_What do you say in times like this? _He wondered, tightening his grip further, and sinking his face into her hair. He could only stay silent. She pushed her hands into his chest to look at his face, her waist still thoroughly pressed into his, "This…" she began, lifting a hand to her scar gently and tracing it childishly, "…I got it—"

"—Are you ready to tell me?" He loosened her grip as she backed off slightly.

"Uh-huh," and so she retold the story, "it was…October. I'd been out…I don't even remember where…"

_It was cold out, I remember. The tears of the skies cracked down in heavy claps. Thunder. Lightning. I was running through the rain—thought that maybe I'd get less wet. Obviously not. I…remember fumbling with my keys and fingering the little yellow chocobo figure that I got when I was a kid. As I twisted through the locks, nothing prepared me for what I'd face next. A turning point in my life. A fuel for the fire that burns deep inside me. My boiling hatred…and scorching rage for…my father? Or my life…? I'm not sure. I see my brother…my lovely younger brother, bleeding curtains of red velvet from the life of his veins. His messy brown hair matting with it… Glass. Glass surrounding him. Glass protruding from a wound on his head. That man…that disgusting man…holding a half-broken bottle to Danny's neck…the other half…smashed into his skull._

"_What're you doing?!" I screamed, on the verge of killing him right there and then. Too bad I didn't…too bad I couldn't._

_I dashed forward, and forced myself between Danny and my old man. I remember, the stench of alcohol threatened to make me throw up. My blood boiled and I felt it surging beneath my skin. A red-hot pain. But none like what I felt next. I held my tightest grip around his wrist but…it was a wrestle I came to lose. I was too weak. I couldn't stop his angry uppercut. His blade of glass sliced through my skin, narrowly missing my eye. The…splitting of my skin released a torrent of blood to ravage my face. A near unbearable sting. I…couldn't do anything but scream a string of curses. My brother drove his fist into our Dad's temple, hard enough to knock his drunken state to the floor. I was too weak. Too weak…_

"For Gaia's sake! He took my Mother away from me…and he nearly took my brother too!" She screeched, fists balled, one bleeding, "ARRGHHHHHHHHH!"

"…Cee…I'll trust you with this…might make you feel better," he said somewhat quietly, retrieving a ball of crystallised Mako from his pocket before pushing the Lightning Materia into her forearm, "Aim for the lightning rod tower over there…just kinda," he stood behind her and guided her wrists, "summon it within you…concentrate…"

With a harsh swing of her arm a great streak of lightning cracked down onto the rod a few buildings over. Tears streamed down her face violently as she fired again and again, sobbing endlessly, her frustration lightening only slightly with each bolt. Her arm glowed green as she grew weaker, her magic power, having not been trained with, was running low. She sighed, choking on her breaths as she turned to face the boy, her hands sliding to his shoulders as she breathed her thanks.

"You should keep that…" He offered placing a hand on one of hers and rubbing it gently, "Feel any better?"

"…Somewhat," she laughed quietly, sniffing and meeting the boy's perfect lilac and blue pools, settling.

"Maybe you should sing your song," he smiled, somewhat cheekily.

"But I—"

"—You said it settles you, right? C'mon, we can dance—"

"—You dance?"

He nodded, placing his right hand on her waist slightly towards the back and took one of her hands off his shoulder and held it in a loose grip, "I can't dance to save my life, Zack," she snivelled, "Dancing with me is like…shifting a wardrobe…"

"It's easy…mirror what I do…okay? I move forward with my right foot, you move back with your left foot…" he explained softly, as tears and rain continued to stain the girl's face. Her hair clung around her face as she shook.

"I wouldn't have guessed a…puppy like you would be able to dance so well," she sniffed, now slightly distracted from the previous events.

"I'm full of surprises," he smirked, leading the girl, writing an 'L' shape with his foot and shifting their weight.

"…Nice surprises?"

"Of course," he smiled softly, kissing her cheek, the taste of her tears spiking his tongue, causing his murmurs, stopping his dancing, "…the…taste of your life."

She looked at him puzzled before he took his hand from hers and moved her sopping wet hair from her face. His fingers brushed along her jaw, and Alcie felt her stomach lift like a feather. Her mouth fell open slightly when she felt the boy's fingertips trace the scar to her lip. Her forehead lifted above the bridge of her nose, sadness etched in the shapes of her face. Her eyes stung an angry red but the orange tones remained ever prominent, burning through the tears that poured from them. She stared hers into Zack's crystal blue, lavender tendrils weaving through, his face crinkled lightly. He wasn't looking at her eyes though; he studied her lips, the one slightly damaged through scar, but a fresh pink all the same. Her jaw with the rounded chin. Her nose with the lightly pinched tip. Before, finally, her eyes, with the familiar soft tone of orange and brown.

_Why not now?_

_Now_, they knew. The boy moved in slowly, both hearts fluttering as their soft lips folded like rose petals on an early morn. She slid her free hand from his waist to his chest gently, without even realising such, parting her mouth just slightly, allowing his tongue to gently trace her lip. The feel of his lips on hers again, the sensations that she had secretly longed for since the last time returned, overpowering, overwhelming, as she leaned into the boy. His taste and touch forcing her heart to race. Her nose clumsily knocked into his as she tiptoed slightly, a smile tugging through their kiss. He began to pull away, but stopped when he felt the sweet sensation of the girl nibbling back on his lip. He smiled into her and pulled her closer, much closer, their bodies inelegantly knocking into place, earning a giggle through their caress, like velvet on soft skin. She pulled away gently, smiling.

_Tifa said she doesn't know you like her… _A goofy smile played on his lips as he said, albeit lamely, "I like you. I think we should date."

She couldn't withdraw her teary laugh, "I like you too," before she wrapped her arms around his neck and stole another kiss. Raining harder than it did before.

* * *

**A/N: N'awwwh! So. She spilled. She tells of her past in minor detail—there's more to it than that. Next chapter we get back to the action—this story isn't half told yet. Thanks for reading guys!**


	11. Silly Mistakes

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: Aloha, my lovelies. RIGHT. Let's get back in the game. We have a certain job to get to, correct? We now venture back toward the action. Good-o! As I write this, it is 6am and I haven't slept at all. Whoops. It's snowing too, if that makes a blind bit of difference. Which it doesn't. Anyhoo, it's been eight days since I last updated? I think? Whoops, heh-heh. As ever, I wish you enjoy the read! – Fearlessed x**

**Reviewer babies :)**

**cupcakequeen1997: **I'm glad you are still able to enjoy my story! Thank you for reading!

**aillermoon:** Thank you! Who _wouldn't_ wish they were kissing Zack Fair, after all x)?

**Zanarkand-Brotherhood**: I must say, I _was_ noshing on a cheese pizza as I wrote that chapter. And wow, okay, to have my little kissy piece be compared to FFX's Tidus and Yuna scene? Wow :3!

**Thanks to all!**

**Disclaimer: **If I haven't stressed it enough, Final Fantasy VII doesn't belong to me. Well…my personal copy of the video game does but what I mean is…I don't gots no owners papers, yo.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Silly Mistakes**

**First day of training**

"Look, Cee, I've gotta go. You can be late—but I sure as hell can't!" A nineteen-year-old martial arts instructor yelled, chuckles distorting her tone as she observed her scatter-brained roommate darting between her bedroom and the bathroom. "I'll see you there, alright?"

"Mmmnnkay, BYE," she called back as the door closed, shaking the lamps and fittings. Over sleeping isn't a very good idea when you work in the military. Not really. Sure, her first ever training session under ShinRa's wing was also Tifa's first class of instructing, but still. She was pretty sure the army looked down on lateness.

The girl bashed into the bedroom doorframe rather harshly as she made a poor attempt at passing through it, all the while heaving on a pair of standard issue Infantryman boots. The latest batch of recruits hadn't been given uniforms yet—apparently, it was to save money as lots of men drop out after realising that just maybe, the army isn't for them—so they had been told to wear what was comfortable, plus these goddessdamn boots. They were almost similar to the SOLDIER ones, but they were brown. And hard to get on your feet, apparently. If curses were colours, the girl would've been spewing rainbows from her mouth as she stumbled across the room and flew her foot into the wall, slamming her heel into the sole. Finally.

It took her longer than it should've, but the eighteen-year-old girl burst through the doors that led to one of ShinRa's many training rooms, bright with wooden flooring, and one wall that was a mirror. _Great_, she thought, as if she _needed_ a constant reminder of how shitty she looked when she got sweaty during training. It looked like a dance studio in a gym, actually, what with the beams that lined the walls to lean on and stretch on, like a ballet dancer. It reminded her of her childhood. Some of the better days, at least.

Of course, being a girl, she wasn't going unnoticed amongst the twenty or so men. And if they didn't notice her, they most certainly noticed Tifa who stood at the front strongly, determinedly, while chatting with a fairly chuffed-looking Angeal. As she weaved through, the eighteen-year-old wrinkled her nose in distaste, upon overhearing some of the crude and downright infantile conversations between the teenagers. Well, most of them were teenagers. A few of them looked to be in their early twenties. Either way, sexist remarks and constant snickering could be heard. Not from all. From some. From…the small-minded, she supposed, _Whatever. You'll always get one. Or ten._

"Recruits!" The strongly-built man bellowed, shocking some into jerking, others stood in awe. This was Angeal Hewley. SOLDIER First Class. He was renowned for his excellence in the field, of course, but also for being the ultimate nobleman, full of honour and a strong sense of justice. It was like meeting a celebrity for some of these boys. Alcie smiled absently, some of the 'men' in this room were as young as about sixteen, and Angeal really was a living legend.

"You are ShinRa's newest starters. You are not the only set, but this is your group. The twenty-four of you have been chosen together for a number of reasons. Some of you have been specifically recruited for ShinRa, while others of you came here of your choice. But now, no matter your expertise, will work on the same level. You will work with, not against, each other. As these men around you are your comrades. You must stand up for each other when no one else will. You must save each other's lives—"

Alcie scratched the back of her head, _Isn't that a given? We're not here to blindly beat the crap out of each other. We're here to learn and train._ She spaced out, wondering what kinds of problems the not-so-friendly rivalries brought about. She pursed her lips in thought before she tuned back in, to hear Angeal's strong voice…

"…Because if you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams and honour. Without, you will be no more than a failure. Tarnish to the ShinRa name…! However, if you follow Miss Lockhart's guidance, channel the drive from your mentors and superiors, and hold tightly to your dreams and honour, you could be the next Genesis. You could be the next Tseng, or even the next Sephiroth," he cleared his throat loudly, and eyed the recruits before him, his brow as stern as ever, "Depending on your goal or recruitment plan, you're superiors will either be myself, Zack Fair, Genesis Rhapsodos, Sephiroth and the Director of SOLDIER or Tseng and Reno of the Turks alongside even Rufus ShinRa, Vice President. We will all oversee your ability over the coming days and weeks. The first inauguration of new SOLDIER members and Turks is in a few short weeks. If you do not make it in this time around, continue your training and attempt the next month's trials. However. That said. Some of you may never reach your desired goal. Bear in mind that not only physical strength comes into the choosing of SOLDIER members, but also mental capabilities. You are all, nonetheless, accepted into our Infantry as of now, providing you do not drop out. You will be assigned missions and tasks and will be watched closely by your respective superiors."

He went on for a while after that. Alcie wondered why they couldn't just gather all the recruits in one room and tell everyone at the same time, but then her question was answered. They were the last batch of newbies before cut-off point for the month. Some of the recruits in her group had started on the ninth, the rest on between then and the thirteenth. In essence, Alcie had joined on the eleventh, although not officially. Whereas most of the other recruit groups had started last week. They weren't much ahead, but they'd already had their basic induction. Alcie briefly wondered how Zack felt when he was in this position, but stopped when she scolded herself,_ The last thing you wanna do is become a pool of goo on the floor because you melted while thinking about a boy. Get a hold of yourself! Concentrate!_

"Ahem. I believe I have said enough for today. Miss Lockhart."

"Thanks, Angeal. Okay, I'm Tifa Lockhart. I was trained by Zangan, a great man you may or may not have heard of, who had 128 students across the world. He brought me here, to Midgar, where I extended my knowledge further. He always said to me, that the art of self-defence is one of great importance, and he was not wrong. You might think, well I want to be in SOLDIER—a swordsman, or a Turk, and I want to be a sharpshooter—I don't need hand-to-hand training. But if you think that, you won't go far. Take all training you can get; basic knowledge in martial arts is an invaluable knowledge to hold, after all. And from today and over the coming weeks, whether you have been training your entire life or you've never thrown a punch, you will all be taught at the same level, and will all walk away from your training courses in a good position. Now…"

Alcie's muscles start to ache just _thinking_ about that day. Tifa and Angeal both worked on individually training up each and every one in the room, gathering a basic understanding of each man's ability. The red-eyed girl held a clipboard with everyone's names on, and regularly scribbled down all sorts of notes but, well…for all Alcie knew, she could've been doodling. She could only assume she wasn't though. Eventually, after what felt like _hours_ of boring shadowboxing, they were put in pairs based on ability and allowed a little freedom to fight.

"Lenna—"

"—Sir," she called to the tall man of 6'4", taking a step forward.

"And Surrexit—"

"—Sir." _Surrexit, huh?_ She thought to herself. Many questions surged into her mind at once, fighting and wrestling to come up at the front of her head, _Who's this guy? How good is he gonna be? Why did they choose to pair us together? _She studied him briefly, attempting to grasp _something_ about him from his looks. Which was futile. But she was nervous, so what? The only thing she could tell from his choppy, dirty blonde hair that sat on his head somewhat messily, and his eyes of hazel hues that leaned towards the brown side rather than green, was perhaps he was a little cheeky and boyish. He didn't look at all disjointed when he realised he'd be the only guy fighting a girl. He wasn't weirdly excited either, which pleased the orange-eyed. She didn't want to have to constantly train with people who weren't going to give their all, and neither did she want to fight someone who was going to try to kill her. She noted the slight stubble that highlighted his jaw as he turned to her and nodded, the corner of his mouth quirking upward.

He reached a hand out to her, "They call me Rex. Nice to meet ya," he smiled, as she took his hand and shook it firmly, she needn't show any form of weakness around these people. Acceptance would be important, and might be hard to obtain, as she was just _slightly_ more feminine than the others.

"You too. I'm Alcie," she grinned cheerily, before awaiting instruction.

"Give it all you've got. Five minutes. Go!" Was their cue, and as soon as the sounds left the nineteen-year-old's mouth, 'Rex' was on the move.

"No time ta get to know each other then, huh?" She scoffed as she darted to the side to dodge a harsh kick to the stomach.

He turned with a sharp punch to her gut. She grabbed his wrist just a second too late though, his fist still knocking some of her breath away. She did, however, yank his head downwards and brought her knee to meet him, hard. He wiped his face with his hand before forcing his fists to her shoulders, and chuckling, "Not my style. I'll hit on you later."

"We'll see about that," she recoiled hard from his hits but bounced back, and sent a high kick to hook around his neck, which she anticipated he catch. He did. She threw her weight over, to connect her free leg with his face, sending him a good few feet away, into the floorboards. She landed smoothly on a foot and a knee, "Taste good, does it?"

He fairly guffawed, "You gotta mouth on you," he rolled to his feet, narrowly missing Alcie's foot, and sent his fist to her rib. She grunted sharply as he made an uppercut to her chin, followed by a hard kick in the stomach. The wooden floor burnt her skin as she made contact with it, rolling backwards from momentum to stand.

"…So they say…" She rubbed her chin with the back of her wrist before rolling her fist and cocking it into his jaw, spinning into a roundhouse to the rib, _Getting better at those_. But she hadn't the time to finish her thought, his recovery was quick as he swept his arm to her face, meeting the skin of her arm as she blocked. He pulled back and wound his weight around, twirling a back-hand cross into the bone of her hip. She winced as the force brought her to her knees, having to swiftly belt her leg into his shins and trip him to avoid his blows. Before she could fully rise, she had to catch his strike, she yanked—hard—and brought her feet to his chest, digging in hard to propel her into a backwards handspring. He hit the ground with a force that should've broken the floorboards. Or winded him at _least_. But he seemed only mildly put out. _He's had more training than I have, for sure_…she marvelled. Perhaps that was a compliment.

He jack-knifed; his feet pushing into her stomach just slightly knocking her back a step. Before she recovered, he rammed his fist into her chest, his other into her side. _Mid, mid, high!_ She predicted, and ducked under his third strike, desperately pinching for the underside of his right arm. An area Alcie knew all too well, was extremely sensitive to pain.

"^%$#, you fight dirty, Lenna," he grumbled, his mouth quirked up in some form of admiration all the same. She would've bowed, but she wanted to go out with more of a bang than that. She leant over, her side facing him, and curtsied with her own little twist, chortling somewhat darkly, and slamming her palm into the lower of his sternum. _Surely that'll wind him_, she thought morbidly. Oh, it did.

He took a sharp intake of breath before coughing and spluttering violently. The eighteen-year-old could've sworn he laughed as he said to her, "Really dirty," and offered his hand for her to take, grinning.

She nodded and smiled, taking his hand firmly. And it was only then that they noticed more than their own eyes had been watching their fight. A small round of applause enveloped their ears. Their eyes met again as he grinned, somewhat bewildered, what was going on exactly?

"Well done, Ce—Lenna, Surrexit," their instructor chimed, slipping just slightly on her friend's name. That would take some getting used to. "An excellent show of camaraderie too. Just a simple handshake to show no hard feelings can go a long way. I can only reiterate Angeal's earlier point; you are each other's defences. You must trust as friends, as you may be the only ones able to save each other, in the end. A friendly rivalry may surge you far, but envy will get you nowhere. Hours break! Be back for thirteen hundred hours! Dismissed."

Alcie chuckled lightly, looking up into Rex's eyes, "It was a good fight. I enjoyed it, you know."

"Same here. You were actually a match. You know. For a girl," he snickered. Alcie could tell though, he was just winding her up. She flashed a white smile, stifling her laughs.

"Ahhh, I see. You're one of THOSE guys. I get it," she walked away, rolling her eyes, a bounce in her step. The boy of perhaps nineteen followed behind her as she led out of the door, "So. Tell me about yourself, Rex. Who are ya?"

He looked at her momentarily, stunned by the question, somewhat awkward, "What do you mean, who am I? You know who I am…I'm Surrexit—"

"—Well…uh…I know that," the eighteen-year-old glanced at him briefly, over her shoulder, somewhat amused, "I mean like, where are you from? How old are you?"

"Oh…" He scratched his head. He wasn't used to anyone asking, that was all. Maybe. "I'm nineteen an' I'm from Rocket Town, you?"

"Right, okay, that's cool. I'm eighteen and Kalm Town. Well…I'm not _Kalm Town_…I'm…_from_ Kalm Town… Agh. Whatever. You get me," She chuckled, "What brings you here?"

"I wanna join SOLDIER. It's my dream."

"Ahhh, well, that's good then 'cus," she stopped walking abruptly and turned to face him, pushing her forefingers over her eyebrows, mocking Angeal's, before standing on her tiptoes, "If you wanna be a hero, you gotta have dreams. And honour."

The boy laughed, "Do you not like him?"

"Nah, don't be silly. Angeal's a great man. I haven't had too much to do with him, but from what I know, he's lovely," she smiled before walking towards the elevator.

"So, what about you? Why're you here?"

"Me? I was…uh…recruited. Recruited for the Turks. Although, I had to speak to the Director of SOLDIER about it since I'm under his training wing. That was weird, but whatever. I hear Tseng's hard to get hold of these days."

"Oh, so you were, like, head-hunted, essentially. What'd you do that impressed 'em so much?"

"Uh…heh-heh. Funny story that, I. Uh. I killed the Anti-SOLDIER monster that attacked here the other day," her laugh was ever so awkward that it was…well. Laughable.

"That was you?"

"Mhmmm," she squeaked, walking to the elevator and stopping once she remembered something of _mild_ importance, "Oh, wait, no. This is still broken. Ah-haaaah. That's a funny story too..."

"_Funny_? How is that funny, Lenna?" He chuckled.

"Well, you're laughing!"

"Not even. At least there was no one in there—"

"—No, no. That's what's funny. _I_ was in there."

"You_ were in there_?"

"Well, I was on top of it for a good amount of time," she scoffed, somewhat dryly, kicking her booted toes into the floor.

"On top of it…?"

"Yup," she answered, strolling off towards the stairwell, "With Zack—"

"—Zack Fair? SOLDIER First Class…?"

"Yeah, well…I'm kinda dating him so—"

"—You're dating him? Oh wow, really? He's like, my idol," he laughed quietly. Alcie smiled to herself. So many people thought so highly of the men in SOLDIER, especially the high ranking like Zack and Sephiroth. They were almost like the cities—no—the _world's_ protectors, in a way. The greatest warriors. They'd protect you even if everyone else failed. They'd make war go away. They're heroes.

"I expect you'll meet him at some point. Why do ya wanna join SOLDIER then? The _fame_? The _fortune_? The _screaming_ girls?" She asked dramatically.

"Oh, of course," he replied, smirking wolfishly, "What other reason is there?"

"Oh, _none_," she answered rather sarcastically.

"Anyway, you hungry? I sure as hell am and I have no friends," he laughed in mock self-deprecation. Alcie knew, when you leave home, you're on your own. You've really gotta go out of your way, then, to meet new people. Which is always hard. She knew. She had to do it too. "So, you wanna come with?"

"Oh, yeah, totally. Do you know how much love I possess for what I can put in my mouth—?"

"—I'll find you something you can put in your mouth—" He leered, mischief absolutely wreaking havoc in his green-brown eyes.

"—Oh Goddess," she laughed, completely unoffended, _boys._ "Walked right into that one."

* * *

Unfortunately for Alcie, after lunch they were pit against different people. Each pair would be taken from the group and set to fight in front of the class. _Great_. Then, Tifa and Angeal would quite literally commentate on what worked well and what didn't. Pressure. _Double_ _great_. Oh, and it got better. Alcie was pit up against someone who was hell-bent on _killing_ her, it seemed.

It started off well, her match, but after she almost dislocated his shoulder by grabbing his upper arm and throwing her weight over it to send him tumbling to the ground ungracefully, he got pretty pissed. He was angry, a heavy-hitter, and slow—Alcie light and quick, but she knew though, that a well-placed (_lucky_) punch from his end to her face, could quite easily knock her out.

It was when she split her leg into the air and knocked back his head that things went downhill for her. She spun sharply to knock her elbow into his windpipe but was cut short by a heavy fist to the gut. Her recoil only gave her enough time to curse as he brought his knee to his chest and extended his leg into her torso. Hard. That familiar feeling of a penetrated diaphragm spiked through her chest like a sharp blade. Of course, it wasn't actually penetrated, but it might as well have been. She'd have sworn that would've been less painful.

'Rex' Surrexit winced in the audience as her back came into contact with the floor, seemingly miles away from her opponent, surely burning her skin. Again. Shock and grimace reared their ugly heads and clawed on the faces on everyone in the room. 'She alright? I mean, she's just a girl,' were among the many strings of thought flooding the young men's heads. However, they hadn't even the time to check as she arched her back in clear discomfort. That's when the door opened, smashing right into the back of her skull.

"OWW…" she howled in pain, rolling onto her side, away from the offending door before sprawling back out to give her best, most evil death glare to her door attacker. "Hey—! Ugh...?!"

"Alcie…?"

"Zack?!"

He stood, downright dumbfounded, his jaw nearly hitting the floor, staring at the girl whose limbs were spread out like a Malboro's tentacles, unable to remove his eyes from hers for a good five seconds. Completely and utterly baffled. Did he…_actually_ just bash his new girlfriend's head in with a door…? Yes. Yes he did.

"Do you MIND?!" She sassed, temporarily forgetting you're not really supposed to speak to First Class SOLDIER members like that. _Oh_, she was going to fit in _well_ here. She grinned, sheepishly, "Umm…Sir…?"

"…Alcie…? What're you doing on the floor…?"

"Training. What's it look like?" She said dryly, struggling to keep a straight face, even if it was still slightly tinged by bewilderment.

"Uh…sorry…! Sorry," the famed SOLDIER member held a gloved hand out for the girl to take, graciously. Well, as graciously as you can be when you just cracked a massive slab of wood and metal into someone's head. Specifically, your girlfriend's head. _Well done, Zack_, he chided. She accepted his hand, allowing him to pull her up. On reflex, she placed her free hand on his chest to steady herself, before turning to face her class and instructors. It was then that the pair notice twenty-odd pairs of eyes staring at them—confusion tainting every single one.

Tifa and Angeal looked fairly amused though, much to Alcie's discontent. She brushed herself off briskly, before taking position in front of her opponent and upping her fists again. Unfortunately, all she could muster up was a sharp pain in her skull. She winced and placed a hand over the area, only to find blood on her fingers.

She grumbled in distaste, before sighing, "I'm out. You win. I'd shake your hand but…heh," she waved her bloodied fingers around. Instead, she just patted his back with her clean hand before wandering off the side to lean on the hand rail by the mirror.

"Zack."

The boy, whose name was called, lifted his gaze to fall on the taller man, Angeal, as he walked over. Alcie assumed it was his turn to give some kind of speech, although she wasn't listening all too hard. She shook her head and studied her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was pretty dirty in places, bleeding from multiple cuts and grazes. She'd worked a minor sweat on the edges of her forehead, but she didn't look any worse off than the others. _Goddess, I need a shower_, she thought idly.

Through the mirror, she painted the faces of her new comrades with her gaze. She watched Surrexit listening almost painfully closely to what Zack had to say and noted how most of the men were doing the same. What was he saying? Something about…trust, perhaps? She didn't really feel like concentrating on anything. She had a headache. Unsurprisingly.

She leant over slightly, biting her lip and silently scolding herself for her silly mistakes. Silly mistakes that could've cost her life, had she been on a real battlefield. _That's what training is for, Alcie…so you don't make these mistakes again. But…what if I can never _not_ make mistakes…? I…shouldn't have been so stupid. Next time…I-I have to get better. I can't let myself get worse…!_

"…And Lenna?"

She spun to face who mentioned her name. Zack, "You don't lose skill. You lose belief in it. You gotta…believe in yourself, an' the rest will come to you naturally."

With that and a gallant nod to his men, the twenty-two-year old turned away from her with an heir of authority that she'd never noticed before. He was such a goofy boy, a wriggling, impatient little puppy. Or at least, that how he was usually. But in his workplace, and you could see it by just looking at him, he became a new person. His footsteps echoed his determination, his positivity, and his drive to victory. His strong, wide strides were filled by his hardships and battles—his experience and wise to war. His posture straight and shoulders back. His honour. His dreams. It was a side to him that she'd never seen. And it was elegant and mature. He was a role-model to the younger men, to everyone. He was a leader.

That was what made him a First Class SOLDIER.

Alcie watched him leave, her lips parted just slightly, and her head tilted to one side. She blinked softly and nodded, oddly contented and bewildered. There was something about him then that truly relaxed her. Maybe it was the sense of camaraderie he brought to his men. Maybe it was his headship qualities. Or maybe, she felt she met a new side to him. She thought it was impressive, to say the least.

She snapped out of it the second the door closed, she placed her hand on the back of her head again, checking for her blood. Next to none. That was something.

"Dismissed! See you guys soon!" She heard Tifa yell as she weaved toward her. She was disrupted by a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it was nice meetin' ya, Alcie. I gotta go though, I have another training session to go to. You put up a good fight! He only got ya 'cus you got your head smashed in by a door," he said, sunnily. He was trying to cheer her up, she supposed, and so she bit back her sarcastic comments as best she could. "So I'll see ya 'round. Zack's cool, by the way," he grinned widely, before trotting off out the door. Alcie absently wondered if her blood was on it, before traipsing over to Tifa and Angeal, looking somewhat miserable.

"Chin up, Cee. You did really well today," the brunette consoled.

"I can only agree. You showed an impressive array of skill, Miss Lenna," the First Class SOLDIER affirmed.

"Maybe everyone else just sucked and made me look good," she chuckled lightly, quirking the one side of her mouth towards the heavens.

"Hey, don't say that! Anyway, sorry, Cee, but I don't finish my shift for a while. An' then I've gotta get down to the bar, take the day off. I mean, you can stay if you like but—"

"—No, thanks, I'll just go back to the apartment. I need another shower, really. I mean look at me," she chuckled. "Plus, I'm hungry. I'll see ya in a bit."

* * *

_Danny would love it here_, she thought as she wound her way through streets of concrete jungle. It was so different from Kalm, really. The tallest buildings back there were unused watch towers that she used to sit in the windows of, way back when. Other than that, the blue roofed buildings that gave Kalm its famed chilly atmosphere, rarely tiered higher than three storeys. Here, in Midgar, you could expect to see buildings of sixty floors and upwards, and yet not even marking the skyline compared to the mass of ShinRa Inc. Headquarters. Not a scratch.

Attempting to make your way around the plate was an interesting spectacle too. There was a surprising amount of people up there; some were fortunate people, rich enough to live comfortably in houses further out from the centre. Some people were working there, shops and all kinds of small businesses. Then there were workers, off-duty infantrymen and SOLDIER members, the Security Department patrolling the streets, secretaries and office workers darting across roads and weaving with briefcases and files.

Whilst Alcie was wandering back, face up towards the sheets of clouds that were being to soak into grey, she bumped into someone accidentally, "Oh, sorry, I—"

"—Oh! Your skin is _so_ dry!"

Alcie narrowed her eyes, peeved. Sales Consultants…

"What? Is it supposed to be _wet_, or…?" She grunted sharply, fairly agitated, before continuing straight on through the crowds.

_I needn't be insulted in a ditch effort for you to make money…_ She seethed mentally. She then sighed, _My Goddess, how can you even tell if my skin is dry, my face is covered in blood and sweat. _Deepdown she knew though, she wasn't really all that pissed off, she was merely distracting herself from her disappointment in her performance today, and was, quite simply, taking it out on unsuspecting saleswomen. _Ugh…I _need_ a shower_.

She fairly flattened the door into the wall as she charged through it. She'd wound her way up the entire way home, and the apartment's hinges were feeling her fury. She slammed it shut almost as fast as it had opened, and pushed her weight into it. She ripped her blasted shoes off her feet and threw them across the room, smashing them into her bedroom door and bouncing to land somewhere near her bed, presumably. The girl tore in after them, and grabbed fresh clothes from her dresser. It was nice that Tifa continued to lend her clothes, but she was really starting to miss having her own outfits and possessions around.

She pulled off her tank top while fleeting through to the bathroom, and studied her back in the mirror. Some of the skin on her back was damaged, grazed, and downright painful, but really, that was the worst of all harm. Off came her pants and underwear before she stepped into the shower, her blood and pain swilling away. _Maybe for good, this time_, she'd always think.

Under the consistent massage of gently forceful water, she allowed herself to relax. A war broke out between the droplets and her skin, one she knew she would always win. A calm war, if there was such a thing. A war to end her warring. The pummelling of the bullets of water would break away the brick of pain that enveloped her. A war to end all wars. But that got her thinking. In a less metaphorical way. An _actual_ war to end all wars. Perhaps…that war was _this_ war. Maybe the end of the Wutai War would bring peace. _They started it_, she blamed childishly. But she knew, the main reasons. ShinRa went in to speak. To negotiate the bringing of Mako Reactors. But the Wutaians found the idea so repulsive, they fought instantaneously. They wanted in no way to be controlled by ShinRa. But was it really such a bad thing? What ShinRa wanted? They would've provided the townspeople with all the energy they could ever need—a better way of life—what was so bad about that?

She decided she would never find out. Not while in the shower anyway. She rinsed away what was left of the dark cloud that had been polluting her mood, and stepped out of the shower lighter and refreshed. She pulled on a pair of red, high-waisted, short shorts—it was ridiculously cold out but she wasn't going anywhere. And besides, she was sure her legs were vacuums. She had a hard time feeling the cold on her legs. Perhaps she was used to it. The tiles that surrounded Kalm didn't exactly heat up the place. Regardless, she needed to wear shorts, really, for what she wanted to do. She'd also put on a skin-tight, black, cotton leotard—under the shorts of course. The sleeves reached her mid forearms and fit nicely. She slipped on some white trainer socks before picking up her dirty clothes from the floor and sending them into the washing machine.

"Right," she checked to herself. She left the kitchen for the wide open space between the living area and front door, while stretching her wrists, and burying her feet into the thick, cream rug.

She stretched high into the air before swinging to touch her toes, feeling every muscle stretching nicely to accommodate. She raised high up once more, before bending backwards into a bridge, a few joints in her back cracking in response. Straightening her legs to make almost an upside-down 'V' shape, she kicked one strongly and swiftly, keeping her hips straight, sending both legs over to stand. A backwards kickover.

She smiled before attempting virtually the same again, this time, kicking one leg before her other, her legs in the splits, to stand. A backwards walkover. The eighteen-year-old pulled a face while contemplating her next move. She walked forward to the edge of the rug, judging her distance between herself and the door. I believe, '_$^%& it_,' was the last thing she thought before bending into two and a half consecutive backwards walkovers. Her third one left unfinished. Why?

Someone caught her ankle.

She gasped, unable to see her adversary, as her second leg was caught in their grip too. They spoke.

"…You're just full of surprises," they chuckled as they released their grip softly and walked into the room.

Recognising the voice, Alcie smiled and steadied her landing into a clean finishing pose, "_Nice_ surprises?"

"Of course," he grinned. It was Zack, "What…was that?"

"That? Umm, consecutive backwards walkovers. Three of them—well. Two and a half. Thanks for that," she scoffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"How'd you do it?"

"I…I did gymnastics for years. Started when I was literally just about four or five. I stopped at thirteen but by fifteen, I was sick of how inflexible I was becoming. So I started up again."

"I guess that explains a few things," he chuckled, eyes glowing in interest, "What else can you do?"

"Mmm, I can do a lotta things. I can tumble," she grinned. She remembered the rush and feeling of the wind past your face, and she remembered just how excited she was when she first did it. It sucked, she thought, that she couldn't tumble in the apartment, as it was too small.

"You wanna do that walkover again?" He asked happily, positively intrigued and ever-fascinated by this orange-eyed girl's life. He could sense the cheer in her smile too, as she bent backward into a bridge and somewhat slowly raised her stronger leg to lead the walkover. He smiled and shook his head lightly in mild disbelief. _This girl is just…not even normal_, he marvelled. "Nice…!"

"Thanks! I'm glad I took it back up—it's proving quite the useful skill to have these days!"

"Hey, umm," he drove the conversation off, not even in a U-turn but through a maze of different directions to somehow end up here, "I'm sorry about, uhh…smashingyourheadinwithadoor…"

She could only laugh at his sheepishness, "It's okay, really. Is the door alright? I have a pretty hard head," she joked, attempting to settle him.

He fairly chortled, "I'm sure it is. What happened though? How'd you end up so far away from your opponent…?"

"He kicked me!"

Zack lightly tapped his foot into her shin, "I just kicked you and you didn't land up fifteen feet away," he chuckled very slightly. He'd seen battles before, she couldn't skirt around this. Well, maybe she could if she got naked or something, but _oddly enough_, she didn't quite feel like doing so. "What'd he do to you?"

She became slack-jawed momentarily, noting the worry that he tried so hard to hide under strong blue and lavender, "Okay, so it was more like a…uhh, rocket powered boot to my tummy and ribs. Big feet, that bastard's got." _WOW, nice and lady-like, Alcie!_ She scolded herself sarcastically as she lifted her fingertips to touch her lips. For some reason she found herself smiling, and then she realised, it was because he was laughing.

"No kidding," he laughed, "They told me you had the upper-hand but then it started going downhill for you."

"Yeah. In a pretty nasty way too—ah. So…what're you doing here? You didn't come just to apologise…?"

"I can't come to visit my girlfriend when I want to?" He grinned and folded his arms. Ah. He was hiding something. Maybe not _hiding_. But he was uncomfortable with something, and she picked up on that. Although it wasn't just his body language that was so tell-tale to the girl.

She giggled, and looked to the floor, cheeks reddening lightly, until he moved his arms. That's when she noticed. His _uniform._

"Uh, well yeah, but…not when you're on duty. You're still working, so…what's up?"

The twenty-two-year-old pursed his lips and downcast his eyes, "I have your orders."

She widened her eyes in interest and curiosity. Playful and child-like inquisitiveness, lining through her parted lips, tilted head and open eyes. He took a deep breath and placed a hand on her arm.

"You're going on a mission."

* * *

**A/N: She's going on a mission?! WHYYYY? Oh, wait. I know why. I know exactly where this is going *grins insolently* SO. We meet [Rex] Surrexit. I wonder who he is, hurr hurr :3! I love you guys. Thanks for reading :)! **


	12. Compassion

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: Okay. Thankyousomuchforalltherespo nses! Really, thank you all. I've had a pretty hard two weeks and you guys never fail to make my day. Now I gotta 'pologise! I'm sorry for taking so long to update! It's been over a week, I'm sooorryy! In my defence, I haven't been very well and so concentration has been hard to come by! SO. I shall leave you to read. Let's find out more about the mission then, eh? – Fearlessed x **

**Reviewers, my lovely cupcakes!**

**Zanarkand-Brotherhood: **Mah fight scenes are BACK! Haha. I wanted to make sure that in Surrexit's first appearance, his personality would be brought through.

**SecretBunny22:** Romance is important! MIGHTY IMPORTANT! It's good for the feels :D

**aillermoon:** Surrexit's that typical teenage boy, you know? He'll be fleshed out as more than 'that dirty-minded nineteen-year-old' later in the story. I got big plans for Mr Surrexit. Like…what's his first name? Ooh. Secrets.

**Esmeralda: **Thank you!

**Wolffox101:** That's one of my favourite things about writing—improving. And there's always, always room for improvement. Thank you for reading :)

**Saber Amane:** AH. When I read your review on my phone I was like "Oh nooo!" because I knew that I wouldn't be able to update as soon as I wanted :(. But if you're reading this, I updated! Yay!

**Thanks everyone!**

**Disclaimer: **My heart physically pains for these characters, you know. I love them to pieces. But I can never call them mine… Well. Alcie and Surrexit belong to me—so they're MINE. But…Zack *cries*

* * *

**Chapter 12: Compassion**

"You're going on a mission."

"I'm…what…?"

His touch burned deeper than her clothes. Deeper than her _skin_, even. If she hadn't known better, she'd have thought the tingling feelings, like floating dust, were his fingers tracing her spine. Beneath her bone. From the inside out. Of course, his fingers only rested on her arm, very gently, making it all the more harsh when he removed them, and sent them through his hair. The girl longed for his touch to grace her again, as shivers engulfed her back, her arm now missing something. It was almost crying out. Vulnerable? Perhaps. She tried to look through his eyes. She tried to pass through them. Find out what was really going on. But she couldn't. She darted her eyes away. Painfully. Nervously.

It was only really then that she realised what had happened last night. The dancing. The kissing. The things she told him. And that's when embarrassment replaced her blood. She could feel the warmth, the flush, burning her skin from the inside. The red, she felt it. Starting in one place; her cheeks, and spreading like an angry forest fire to overwhelm her forehead and ears. It crept outwards, seeping through her skin, until she just knew that anyone driving by would mistake her for a stop sign. She got to the point where her own embarrassment began to embarrass her. You know, when your own embarrassment—knowing your face is taking that odd hue—_embarrasses_ you. When you can feel people's eyes staring you down and you just wish no one could see you. That typical 'I want the ground to swallow me up' ideal appears. Silly? Maybe. _Embarrassing?_ Definitely.

_Oh Goddess_, she panicked, raising a hand to her forehead, _Ah…poor Zack must think I'm freaking out about the mission…! Go with that… _Avoiding his gaze, she pushed past him and fled to the kitchen. Clinks and clanks rang through their ears as glass tapped on glass, while she pulled out a cup and filled it with water. _Wait, Alcie…you're going on a _mission_...!_

Down went the first mug of water. Refill, "I'm going on a…_mission_?! WHY?"

"…You passed today's test—"

"—Excuse me…? Test?" She questioned breathlessly. As if things _needed_ to get more out of hand.

"…Uh. Over the course of about three or four training sessions, each man is closely monitored and watched over by their instructor—"

"—But I've only had ONE!" She shrilled loudly.

"Because your squad and a couple of others are behind. That's why Angeal was there. He'll probably be there for a few more too."

"W—uh. W-well, when's the mission…?"

"Tomorrow—"

"—WHA—AT?!" She fairly screamed, eyes wider than a 2-Faced or an Allemange, or just something with REALLY wide eyes. She could only scoff, "I've never felt so prepared in my entire life."

"They chose you because they believe you are prepared," he affirmed. His voice was strong. He was driving on fumes at that moment, Alcie thought, and he had switched himself into professionalism, to protect himself from burning out of fuel. "…Each of you chosen will be in a group of one or two alongside your temporary leader who will guide and support you. You must meet with them tomorrow at zero-six-hundred hours on the Infantry floor."

She swallowed hard. This was happening. She was being thrown into a fight, a mission, _already_. It was a shock to the system, but this was the military after all. She sighed heavily for a moment before asking shakily, "…Who will be my support…?"

_Zack remembered the meeting that was held between the superiors of the infantry. He was sat at a large table—the Director's office—surrounded by Angeal, Tseng, Sephiroth, the Director of SOLDIER himself, and a few other men of importance. Some kind of importance anyway. A bunch of suits and SOLDIER members. They'd been gathered to discuss and decide just who was going on this mission, and who was going with them._

"_And…Alcie Lenna, under Turks wing—" the Director began._

"—_I'll go," and of course, it were Zack who spoke._

"_You _can't_," said the head Turk coldly. "You are a superior and you are not _her_ superior—!"_

"—_Neither are the other SOLDIER members!" He retorted, standing from his seat in defiance._

_Angeal cleared his throat, "Even if you could go, Zack, Tseng nor I would allow it. Your emotions would become too involved, and you know she wouldn't get a chance to prove any of her skillset."_

"_Why?!"_

"_Because you'd do the entire mission yourself," Tseng replied matter-of-factly. "You're not going. Try again."_

"_Argh," he groaned, growing slightly pissed off, "Fine. Uh…Third Class ID no. 4729. Yeah, him because of the uh, severity of the mission—"_

"—_Because you trust him," Angeal corrected, knowing exactly how this puppy would play his cards._

"_You _cannot_ wrap her in cotton wool, Zack," Tseng said. And the twenty-two-year-old knew he was right, deep down. But he really only wanted to make sure she'd walk out alive. After that nightmare, he really didn't want to take any chances. He suppressed the urge to shudder._

"…_I can try," he muttered._

"_She will never make it to the Turks if you interfere with her training."_

"_Maybe that's a good thing…" he mumbled before dropping back into his chair._

"…Cloud," he told Alcie. Angeal was right. He trusted that Cloud would bring her home alive.

The dark auburn-haired girl exhaled in relief, Zack assumed, although she spoke unsteadily, which seemed to snap the boy out of professionalism. This was his soldier _and_ his girlfriend. Maybe he'd have a hard time drawing the line. "Who else is in my group, or…?"

"…It'll just be you an' Cloud," he seemed to relax more, the worst was out of the way now, "an'…you'll be alright."

"Uh. Okay. Ah. Right, um…" she struggled to find the words to say. Too much was happening too fast, but she knew, she couldn't just back out and allow the future she wanted to run from her grasp. She wanted this life. And she'd have to fight for it, even if her emotions couldn't keep up with her. Perhaps, that was becoming a problem though, emotion. "Uhh…how do regular people react when they're given their first mission?"

"…Some of them get excited. You know, some of 'em have been waiting for a chance to prove themselves for years an' now they finally get to do that. I know _I_ was excited!"

"…Then why do I feel like throwing up…?"

"…Because…so much has happened to you in the past week an'…you don't know what's goin' on anymore…?" He offered somewhat dolefully.

"Huh…? Uhhh. Possibly," she rubbed her forehead in a futile attempt to ease the pain that tore through the bridge of her nose and up.

"How are you feelin'…? After the other night an' that."

"Uh," she rolled her head to the side, exposing one side of her neck, "I…haven't thought about it much. I've been busy all day. But, ah, now you ask I…don't know how I feel."

"You don't feel worse, do you—?"

"—Oh, no, of course not _worse_. Just uneasy, I guess. It's alright. I'm alright. I just…haven't told anyone for…well. Ever. I'm sorry I ranted all over you."

"No, no. Thanks for telling me. It's good to get stuff off your chest, ya know?"

"…Yeah. I don't…I don't regret it. Thanks for being there for me," she scratched her arm nervously. _Maybe I do regret it. A little. But only because…I…just met you. I mean…I like you a lot. Like. A LOT. I think…everything that happened in the past few days has…accelerated our…_us_…? That sounds so strange. But…agh…I feel so…different. I never say any of these things to anyone… How did you…open me up…?_

"Umm…Cee?" He waved a hand in front of her face, grasping her attention back roughly.

"Uh—ah! Ye-s?" She flinched with his movement.

"Are you…sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, no, I'm fine. I was just thinking. A lot's happened like, whoosh," she waved her hand over her head, part dismissively.

"…Alright, well, I'm really sorry, Cee. I gotta get outta here. I decided there was no point being on sick-leave if I was only gonna spend the day training recruits, ya know? So, I'll—"

"—Wait, how are your ribs?"

"Fine!" he grinned, "Really, nothing wrong with 'em!"

"Okay…okay, that's good to hear," she smiled lightly, looking a little sunnier now.

"Right, well…I gotta go," he leaned his weight up from the back of the couch and moved into her for a hug. She slipped her arms under his and slid her hands to his shoulder blades, tiptoeing just slightly to place her chin on his shoulder. She couldn't quite get over just how it settled her, his touch, and how a simple hug like this could wrack her frame in trembles. How his warmth ignited her bones and peeled back her skin. She hadn't noticed him wrap his strong, yet not overly bulky arms, around her waist, and she certainly didn't notice him close his eyes and furrow his brow as he tightened his grip. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"…Yeah," she breathed, trying her hardest to hide the ecstasy he provided her with as she slipped out of his grasp, "Six o'clock. I'll…see you then."

She smiled and waved weakly as he closed the door on himself. _Agh…_ she attempted to collect her thoughts, _okay, okay. It's okay. That guy, that's your _boyfriend_, dummy. Right. And he kissed you remember? On Saturday. An' then, you know, he got beat up an' you helped get him to the infirmary an' you were super worried—for Gaia's sake, stop talking to yourself in second person! _By now, she was pacing around the main space of the apartment.

_And. I sat with him. For hours because…I care about him. I'm not too sure why but…I think that's okay. Because I…don't really know what's going on, but he makes me feel safe. Somehow. Umm…then what…? Then…then, oh yeah. Then we hung out together all day, and I told him about…about some of my past. And he didn't freak out, I mean, that was pretty cool. An' I kissed him again. We danced and we sang until we went back to the apartment when he left. Then I…told Tifa about it—not about all the details of conversation, but enough so she could grasp the importance of what happened. Today…he hit me in the head with a door and despite that…his professionalism was really, really impressive…an' he just told me now…that I've gotta go on a mission tomorrow morning…phew, okay._

She sighed and grabbed a piece of paper from the side in the kitchen. She wrote:

Hey Teef,

You probably already know, but I gotta go on a mission tomorrow morning at six, so by the time you read this, I'll already be asleep. If I'm not up by five, hit me with a hammer or something.

Love ya,

Cee.

P.S.: Pleeeease don't hit me with a hammer. I was kidding—not sure how well that goes down on paper.

* * *

**0451 hours, or something...****  
**

The auburn-haired girl clawed frantically to consciousness; desperately attempting to escape her dream. Her nightmare. She trembled and sweated and writhed through her skin, kicking away the remains of her terror, until eventually, she woke. Gasping for breath with wide eyes. Pitch black. Too early. No. That's not why it was pitch black.

…_There's those green strands again…_ she thought idly, calmly, as they licked her fingertips. Instant tranquil. Almost as though someone had knocked her out cold. Docile. Quiet. Once again, she felt as though she lay on her back, drifting with her legs dangling, warm from the touch of green, _I know where I am._

_"**It was a dream, Child."**_

"…_Hi…" _she said lamely,_ "Umm…so do dreams hold any…importance…?"_

_"**Of course. Your dreams are the keys of your consciousness. Not directly. Symbolically. You will find that your dreams are linked with your task. You must find he who dreams similarly."**_

"'_He who dreams similarly,' huh…? How do I do that?"_

_"**You've already met them. They have already stolen your dream."**_

"…_What?"_

_"**You will learn. Continue on your way. There is still far to go."**_

"_That's motivating…" _She would've rolled her eyes if she could control her body, but as that, she felt the Goddess's presence fading._ "Wait…don't go. I…have a question…"_

_"**Yes, Child?"**_

"_This…green crap…it's…the Lifestream…isn't it…? Which means it's…you…?" _She hadn't thought of it at the time, but when she looked back on it, she realised she had just a little more personality back. She wasn't quite so drained.

_"**Correct. I have a physical form…but I am tied with the Lifestream. Now go. You have orders."**_

Light. A million stars. Darkness. Alcie opened her eyes reluctantly, drying sweat on her skin, and drying tears on her face. Darkness remained, although the faintest of green light filtered through her window and touched the wall. She sighed off the weight of one thousand bricks before noting her current position. She had chosen to not sleep on her bed, and instead opted to cram herself between the side of her dresser and a wall, sat in the foetal position, swaddled in her bed quilt. She always found comfort in small spaces, since she was small. Whether it be a cupboard or under a bed—if she could just about squeeze herself in, it was fine for her. She couldn't understand claustrophobia, how could you be afraid of knowing no one can reach you, or find you? But she never really thought about the flip of that, being _stuck_ where no one can reach or find you, with no one to help you out of that tight spot.

She rubbed her forehead on her knees before standing, pulling on the dresser with her fingertips to squeeze herself out. She unravelled herself from sheaths of blankets gently, dreading the cold air, like spearheads, that jabbed into her skin harshly. As her mind raced to collect the last remnants of her dream, she shuddered bitterly at the vision of an impaled Tifa hanging paralysed on the end of a spear. Alcie couldn't remember the details of how she failed to save her friend, but the thought alone was enough to turn her stomach. She could only sigh, frustrated at her lack of memory and weakness, _What did I screw up on this time…?_

In an act to reassure herself, Alcie pushed Tifa's bedroom door open just enough to be able to see her alive in there, before she continued to the bathroom to shower. By twenty past five, she was ready and on the Infantry Floor.

"Lenna?" Angeal called. He was performing some kind of register, interestingly enough. Somewhere near him, Zack looked up to search the small crowd of recruits to find her.

"Sir."

"Proceed to cloakroom to acquire a uniform. Zero-eight," he said calmly.

She nodded silently before brushing past who she didn't realise was one of the boys from her squad. The room was small and lined with lockers containing the uniforms of the Infantry. She scoured the doors in search of zero-eight, and pulled out the clothing upon finding it. Goddess knows why, but her first instinct was to sniff it, her nose wrinkling in the clearest of distaste as she wandered into the changing room. Said changing room was perhaps only a foot wider than her shoulders. And while usually she wouldn't mind a tight space, she was _trying_ to change.

It didn't smell dirty, the uniform, it was just that it smelt…_odd_. It was the kind of smell that reaches the olfactory nerves and CLINGS AND NEVER LETS GO. The kind of smell that dries your throat. Despite that though, she couldn't help but feel proud as she unfolded the stubborn cloth. This was actually her life now. She was an accepted soldier in the infantry of ShinRa, and even if she never made it to the Turks, she could be satisfied with that alone. It was an honour to even be selected as a _recruit_ for the Turks, let alone join them. And so her pride, alongside her nerves, shone through her face as she began pulling on the blue combat pants. The material was stiff and thick but loose enough to move around in. She clapped on the metal knee guards before wrestling with her brown boots again. Interestingly, she now had two small brown belts to wrap around in a cross over her ankles, on top of her boots. She assumed it was to keep you from tripping over loose material, which was all good.

The heavy shirt was next. It was the same hue of the combat trousers and the same, smelly, stiff material. Alcie's seemed to be modified just slightly different from the male variation, as it tapered into the waist in fitting. Again, she had to guess that was to eliminate any bagginess that might land you in hot water. _Thank Goddess they gave me a girl one. If they'd have given me the flat chested guy's one I wouldn't be able to _breathe_…! _She pushed the sleeves to sit just above her elbows before fastening on her holsters, one around her torso that held the belt that sat on top of her shirt, and the second wrapped around her right thigh. Brown leather gloves, shoulder guards, a helmet she was hell-bent on not wearing and a…scarf? A round, light green, infinity scarf. Well. It looked like a scarf anyway, that lined up to her chin._ Smelly—uhh, good, I mean._

She studied her reflection in the mirror and smiled weakly. She was a soldier now. This was her life now. This was what she wanted. This was what she chose. She grinned. Her fears melted into excitement as her heart pounded and her body shook lightly with coursing adrenaline. She couldn't decide whether she should be so excited or not. So she decided to remain undecided instead. That's Alcie for you.

The orange-eyed girl put on a straight face as she re-joined the group, and allowed her emotions to simmer and sort themselves out. She was just in time to catch the tail end of a speech.

"…Remember that and you shall not fail. Listen to and work with your support, he will be either a Third or Second Class SOLDIER member and has been in your shoes. Should you fail, your support will secure the mission in your place. Although you have your guide to fall back on, this is a real mission with real consequences. Don't let your comrades down. Don't get over-confident," Angeal preached, ever strong and ever determined, standing proud in all his SOLDIER honour.

"As long as you've got each other's backs, you've got nothing to worry about," Zack began. The auburn-haired girl was unsure if she liked the Zack that stormed his workplace or if she should be scared. She knew she was impressed by his somewhat surprisingly authoritative demeanour, but still…war changes a person. She didn't want war to trouble him, or anyone, as of course, it did. And it would trouble every man in that room. "Your mission is to secure Fort Condor. There have been reports of Wutaian forces in the surrounding area. Follow the guidance of your support and you will make it. You're all coming home, you hear me? Right. Good luck, and I'll see you upon your return."

A unanimous, "Sir!" enveloped the ears of all as the men and one young woman as they filed out of the room, heading for the helipads, followed by both First Class men. They reached their destination when Alcie felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Alcie—"

"—HUUNGHH!" She jumped a mile in surprise, "AH. Holy crap, you scared me. Rex, Hi."

"So you passed the test, huh?" He grinned madly, hazel eyes looking slightly greener than the day before.

"Oh, yeah, I did. I see you did too, ah—you don't look nervous. At all." She chuckled in mild amusement. The boy was fairly bouncing in his step.

"I'm not, I'm well excited! Best of luck to ya, alright? Alceeya later!"

She cringed. Hard. The palm of her hand met her face with seemingly excruciating force, the slap resounding in her ears. Her eyes were scrunched up but she forced one open and smiled falsely, "Yeahaha, you too!" _Goddess, that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my entire life_, she marvelled and shook her head, mentally patting herself on the back for not screaming at the poor guy.

The men slowly began filing into the helicopters when she noticed Zack and Angeal turning away, "Wait!" she called to them. They turned to face her, as well as a bunch of infantrymen, but no matter.

"Umm…I'm not sure how professional this is but," she placed her fingertips on his neck, tiptoeing just slightly, before softly brushing her lips against his. "…But I…I couldn't leave without saying goodbye."

She turned on the ball of her foot and walked away, through the muttering men, and into her designated helicopter. Zack licked his lip very lightly before pulling it back gently with his teeth. His skin enraged by her touch. That's when Cloud arrived. Well. He'd been there for a good five minutes, but even so. He patted Zack on the back while passing, before spinning around upon hearing his mentor's voice.

"Cloud? Jus'…keep her safe."

"You got it," he said, before turning away and hopping in the same helicopter as Alcie, somewhat reluctantly. It would be a long day.

* * *

**6:46am, or rather, 0646 hours...military time and that...  
**

Alcie thought Cloud looked like shit, for lack of a better word. It was motion sickness, he told her, and he'd be fine once they landed. She didn't tell him then, that she suffered from it too, sometimes. Right in that moment though, she was running on such adrenaline, that her nerves drowned out any other wonderings. She couldn't even concentrate on a passing thought for long enough to catch it, her brain working like a sieve. It's not really worth mentioning, but the girl had finally decided that being nervous was the way to go. The risks, the fray, and the fact that essentially, she was probably going to have to kill a man.

She didn't think that she'd killed anyone back in the raid at Headquarters. Just knocked them out. Sure she had killed the Anti-SOLDIER monster, but that's different from killing a man who has a family, friends and comrades just like herself. Her heart sank at the thought, but she knew that was the nature of the game, and she had no time to think about it.

"Yo, so, have I met you before?"

_Reno_. She bit her lip and tipped an eyebrow upwards, "No…?" she lied.

"Really…? What's your name—?"

She chuckled, no use lying really, she might be his fellow Turk someday, "Yes, we met at Seventh Heaven. Alcie Lenna. Nice to meet you…again."

"Oh! Yeah, I remember you! How could I forget such a pretty face—?"

"—Ah, so then you're the same even when you're sober, huh?" She laughed. Typical. "Or have you been drinking on the job?"

"I would never!" He pulled a face of mock horror. It was only then that she noticed Reno was actually _piloting_ the helicopter. _Huh. So maybe he does have a brain somewhere._

"But, yeah. I was one of the barmaids. But now I'm—"

"Ohh. So _you're_ the latest Turks recruit. You wanna be in the Turks, huh?"

"…Not really," she muttered, "I wanna work with ShinRa, sure. I never actually thought of going Turke—for the Turks though…Sir…" She forgot. Reno was actually one of her superiors.

"Forget the formalities, yo," he said something a little stronger than 'forget', funnily enough. "So why Turks then?"

"I was, ah, head-hunted, I guess you could say. I helped out a little in the raid an' they seem to think I've got what it takes."

"I think so. I've seen your files."

"Uh. Thanks," she said. She assumed that was a compliment. Either that or he was being a really creepy stalker. She preferred the former. "Umm…files?"

"Yeah. You got files."

_Wow, so helpful,_ she scoffed mentally. The corner of her lips tugged upward and she let out the slightest of chuckles, "Okay. What's in these _files_?"

"Oh, like, it says who you are an' why you're with the Company and that. The longer you work for ShinRa, the more goes in ya file. There's not much in there yet, but I read up on your performance notes from your first training session and the notes from the raid—"

"—But how are there notes on that? I didn't have an instructor or anything—"

"—Security cameras. Me, Tseng an' Angeal watched the playback. Nice job!" He raised a hand to gives her the thumbs up and smile at her, although she reeeally wished he wouldn't. They'd be safer if he was actually _watching_ where he was flying.

"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense…"

"How much longer?" One of the other recruits asked. _Oh yeah…there's other people in here_. She seemed to have a habit of not noting people's presence when preoccupied. A pretty bad habit to have when you fight for a living. _Whoops…_ There were three others sat in there, two recruits and a SOLDIER Third Class that Cloud didn't seem to know.

"Not too long now. They wanted us to take the longer route, so you could use the mountain range near Fort Condor, and the lack of light, to your advantage. We're just flying over Chocobo Ranch now, yo."

"…You should get your weapons from the back now," a voice spoke. A familiar voice, in fact.

"Oh! Rude! Gah—! I mean, Sir…! Sorry, I didn't see you there! Heya!" She trilled, smiling embarrassedly. _Oh, the nerves are messing me up today._

He cleared his throat, "It's alright."

"Rude don't talk much," Reno jabbed, chortling. "Say something, Rude."

"…"

"See?"

Alcie laughed before turning to take her weaponry from a steely case. A standard issue assault rifle, baton and grenade were provided for each of the infantrymen. A pistol would've suited her better, perhaps, but she knew she'd have to settle for what she was supplied with.

"You guys haven't had much practice with weapons have ya? But you should be alright with those," Reno said, rather unhelpfully for Alcie. She'd only had the one session, after all, and it was in hand-to-hand combat.

"You need me to teach you how ta use it?" Cloud offered quietly. The ride must've really been knocking him down.

She loaded a magazine with cartridges before latching and locking the clip into place, "I got this."

"How…?"

"I know more about guns than perhaps an eighteen-year-old should," she sighed and shook her head. There was much, much more about her past that she hadn't even touched upon when talking with Zack. Things that she didn't intend on mentioning either.

One of the infantrymen piped up. Something he lived to regret, "Definitely. You should've been in the kitc—"

"—You really wanna finish that sentence? This thing is loaded. You watched me do it. Now. I realise I have yet to pull back the operating rod to feed up a cartridge from the magazine, and I realise the bolt has not slammed in place, neither has a round been fed into the chamber—but believe you me. I know how to," her voice was nonchalant. So nonchalant, it could've been misinterpreted as cold or dark. He looked positively bugged out. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not threatening you. I'm stating facts."

"I like her, yo!" Reno chimed, laughing.

She virtually ignored the red-head's comment and instead hung the guns long strap over her shoulder, looped the baton into the holster that wrapped around her thigh and hooked a grenade onto the other one. Then she picked up her helmet and looked at Cloud somewhat petulantly.

"Do I _haf_ta wear this…?"

He chuckled lightly, "Yeah, you do. It sucks but, you get used to it."

"Ohhhhh," she pouted and screwed her nose up in discomfort as she pulled the tight helmet on. It squeezed her skull slightly, and she just knew she was going to get an almighty bitch of a headache later. "Is our image _really_ that important?!"

"So I've been told," he smiled his empathies. He used to hate it too. He understood. "Put it this way. It could save your life, you know? It's not just there to look good—"

"—It _doesn't_ look good—"

"—It'll protect your head from blows." He smirked and pretended to ignore her statement. As true as he thought it was.

Cloud explained to her the basics of the mission, what she needed to do and how she should do it. During which Alcie somehow managed to miss the landing of the helicopter. They were now sat somewhere in the mountain range, the dark and shadow still cast over them, too far away to disturb the enemy. Now they would walk. Her comrades, including Cloud, hopped out of the helicopter, but before she could follow, Reno spoke.

"Happy Valentine's Day, girl," he beamed.

_Valentine's Day…? It's _Valentine's_ Day? _She had completely forgotten. Which meant she had forgotten to say anything to Zack. _He didn't say it either. He must think we're not…serious enough for that. No we're not. Not yet, no. Don't think about it. Don't…worry about it._

"Uhhh, yeah, you too," she mumbled distractedly while she stepped from the helicopter.

"…By the time you reach the destination it will be light, but this gives you enough time to gain the upper hand. We will fly down once you have secured the area. Good luck."

_Angeal is here…? Does that mean Zack came too?_ She looked around, darting her eyes off every face. _No…_

The men began to turn. There were about thirty, she assumed, and about ten of which were members of SOLDIER. The only Turks on the scene were Reno and Rude, and they were staying back with the helicopters. Looked like she wasn't going to get to see them work today.

"…So the attack that's been planned is head-on… Alcie? Are you listening?" The blonde asked.

"Hnnngh, whaaat? YES. Yes, I was listening…!"

"Convincing," he scoffed. "Look. At least pretend you know what the hell's going on. They're always watching you."

"Right. Right…I got this…heh heh. I'm the most observationally and concentration-ally adept soldier here!" She placed her hands on her hips rebelliously and grinned, marching proudly.

"Adept or _in_ept?"

"MEAN," she declared, loudly. These were the last few moments of sanity. In less than ten minutes, hell was going to break loose from its chains that were clearly too weak. Oh, and it really was only moments. By the time they reached flat ground, by the time the sun graced the ground, they'd been sighted. Or sniffed out, rather. A beast. It saw them.

"UGH. It's one of you!" She swiftly set up her gun and rested her finger near the trigger, aiming at someone she knew the sister of.

"Vajradhara Yaksha…" Cloud muttered.

"Bless you," she scoffed.

"I didn't—"

"—It _looks_ like someone you'd know, Lenna," Surrexit called back to her, smirking.

"What? Are you saying I have ugly friends?" She chuckled before raising her gun and aiming carefully. _I don't have a blade this time…might have to handle this differently…_

And with that, the fight began. Wutaian soldiers filed in from behind, alongside their Foulanders and Anti-SOLIDER monsters. _Great_. She noted Cloud charge forward, wielding his sword strongly after he spoke to her, "I got point, go."

"I'm on it!"

She tore after him, and noted a Foulander drawing in on her right, "Not today…!" She drove her baton into the side of its red coloured head and followed up with a kick to the same place, earning a bark and whine in response. It looked like some kind of dog, with angry-looking fangs along with noticeably larger tusks curling out of it mouth. Its eyes were a piercing blue and its claws looked like broken up, metal discs. It swiped for her and she just managed to break out of the way in time to dodge and counter with a harder crackdown on its skull with her baton.

It roared and charged for her, biting for her stomach, hungry for her flesh and blood. She grabbed it by the tusks and threw her weight over to stand on its back. In one swift motion, she snapped upward, tearing the fangs from his face and jumping off it, high into the air.

"EW, that's…disgusting!" She cried as she pulled her gun out mid-air and fired wildly into its back. It felled as she landed, but she hadn't the time to check its death. She tore onward as soon as her feet touched the ground, and sought to have Cloud's back.

"Alcie, take the right. Focus. Get close; they falter up close," he ordered.

The girl nodded and charged in like a cat, hoping she wasn't going to have to shoot. But that was wishful thinking. A Wutaian, she saw, held the gun end of his halberd towards one of the men of ShinRa. She didn't know who. She didn't care. She had no time to care. She pulled the trigger solidly, her bullets tearing into his hips. He dropped to the floor instantly, unable to stand. But…his scream. _Goddess_, his scream. The orange-eyed girl knew not that a human could produce such a blood-curdling cry, "Oh man, I'm gonna be sick," she whined, bent over in sickness, her stomach turning in guilt.

Cloud must've seen, "Targets, Alcie! They're _targets_! Two dimensional _or_ three! Detach yourself! You have to!"

"Ah…I _know_!" She cried back, refusing to bring up her breakfast. She pressed on. She dashed up to the Wutaian and shot his head, hoping only that it might ease his pain. She would've apologised to him. She felt he deserved as much. But there was no time. They were the same. She was at as much risk of the same fate. She could die too.

On she went. A bullet zipped past her arm, alerting her to danger. _No…No time for guilt. It really is…kill or be killed! _She burst fire towards the Wutaian, allowing the recoil to drive her aim up through his chest. Another scream. She chose to ignore. She hardened. She fired again. Spraying her bullets to nest in another man's bones. Targets. She felt surprisingly little, which frightened her greatly. The rush and the fear of the death of her comrades propelled her into numbness.

She hadn't the time to consider whether the 'him or me' mentality was justification for her actions. She just knew was that this was her job. They all did. But tears still began to burn up all the same. Not tears of sadness, either. Fear. Fear of the numbness that swelled in her chest. The empty. She silently wished she'd joined the recruits just a week sooner, so she may have been slightly more mentally prepared. But she was strong enough. She was enough. She'd make sure she was.

An animalistic growl clawed out of her throat as she cocked her fist into the jaw of another Foulander, her mood now as black as coal, and might I add, she _really_ hated coal. She didn't do as much damage as she pissed it off, that's for sure. Screaming, it bit for her arm, its teeth meeting only the butt of her gun as she rammed at it, desperately trying to save herself, and maybe take a few teeth out while she was at it. No such luck. She tugged for her gun back, but the monster refused to let go like a dog and a bone, until she slammed her knee to its chin. A snarl. And a menacing snarl it was, as it cast a fire spell, surging such pure energy in a ball to meet her. The girl ducked last minute, only to feel three sharp knives tear into her back. No…not knives. Claws. Claws of a second Foulander. A Foulander…that had no tusks. She screamed in her agony, the feeling of her flesh splitting and blood gushing through her skin tormented her, as it soaked her clothes. She twisted out to connect her heel with its neck before pumping more bullets than necessary into its face. Dead. For real this time. Where was the second?

It came from behind, scratching for her face and very nearly succeeding before she rolled away, throwing herself to the ground, shooting angrily at its head. The stones and rocks mixed with dust on the ground burnt her open wounds like sandpaper in an eye, the pain bringing about the sweat on her forehead. The sickness in her stomach rose slightly, putting her off lunch, for sure. But she could only continue. She didn't know then, what was driving her. Perhaps it was the adrenaline, or that fear. She didn't know. But she stood, smashing her baton into the Foulander and silently scolding the Wutaians. _Surely using monsters is cheating?!_

"What?" Cloud yelled quizzically.

"Uhh—nothing, I was talking to myself!"

_Damnit_, she thought.

The numbers of the enemy began to thin as the ShinRa soldiers picked off their adversaries, however, one certain monster reigned supreme above the others, and refused to fall. It wreaked havoc against whoever it challenged, in the centre of all the fighting. _Vajradhara something, what did Cloud call it?_ But she didn't find the name as important as sending it back to the dungeons of hell. This one wasn't the same as the one she fought before, she knew, while this one was still purple, it had green armoury and held no weapon. It still didn't look any nicer though.

She slowly lifted her gun and aimed, stood strong in a defensive stance and fired, drawing its attention. Clip after clip was sprayed, but no amount of bullets seemed to faze it. It just charged toward her. She darted away, continuing her stream of bullets, raining into its body. Nothing. Not even blood. She tried to convince herself that really it just doesn't bleed and it was close to dying, but she knew, it just wasn't being hurt.

That was when she saw Surrexit gallivanting from behind it, slashing with a Wutaian weapon, "Rex!" She yelled loudly. Pleased to see he was doing just fine.

"Hey! Come on, what're you doing? You've killed one of these before, this should be easy!" He taunted, grinning while he actually began to draw the blood of the beast.

"Right! Aim for the throat if you can!"

Alongside him, she drove her bullets into the neck, eventually beginning to draw a wound there too. It swiped a powerful arm towards the nineteen-year-old, who jumped onto it, and used the momentum to slice a large line through purple skin. It cried out angrily, raising its fists high in the air to crack down on Alcie's body.

"Alcie!" He yelled, desperately throwing her his weapon, trusting only that she could catch it.

She did.

She held it vertically, crouching under it, as the beast landed neck-wound first into the spear. The force and sheer deadweight of the beast smashed the halberd into the ground, the blade piercing through its skull, yet again.

"Getting good at that—" he started, "AH! _Get out from there_!"

The stick of the halberd snapped, and the beast was to crush the girl into a pancake-flat carpet. She fairly screamed for what felt the hundredth time that day, and dove for Surrexit's hand. She fell short. Her chest collided with the ground harshly, and her legs squashed under the Vajradhara Yaksha's armpit. Which was lucky, really. It saved her bones, at least. Her face lay grazed in the dirt, but it was dead now. That was what mattered.

"Holy _shit_, Lenna, you alright?" He asked grimly, as though scared for the answer. Yet despite this, he didn't know whether he was referring to her legs or her bleeding back which now lay exposed.

"…Yeah…it's just a little pressure," she kicked her legs around in a fruitless attempt to free herself. She lifted her face from the dusty ground to face him, "You mind giving me a hand?"

"Oh, uh, no, of course," he sputtered, taking her hand and pulling her out slowly, painfully. The eighteen-year-old scrambled across the floor, bending her legs uncomfortably. Still holding her hands, he brought her to her feet. "Sorry. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, thanks. I'm fine—" She hadn't the time to finish her sentence. They were ambushed. By _another_ one. It was a black one with pinkish armour that wielded a particularly nasty-looking morning star, minus the spikes. Vajradhara Rakshasa. An even bigger sneeze than the last.

It moved quicker than anticipated and forced the pair to panic. In honesty, Alcie didn't feel like moving her legs right now, but her aversion to dying was slightly stronger as she turned to run, simply blind firing into the beast's skin. She stopped when she realised the majority of her bullets only ricocheted. _What now? What now?! Ah!_

Alcie fumbled for her grenade weakly, running, running, before pulling the pin and throwing the bomb over her shoulder, to bounce off the monsters body. Unfortunately for her, as she turned to shoot, she caught herself in the outskirts of the blast. Her ears rang as her eardrums strained to not burst as dust and smoke enshrouded the girl and monster. But that was nothing compared to the force of which the beast hit her. Her hazy, clouded vision failed to pick up the arm draw back and smack her, brutally, in the stomach. She flew backwards, understanding a little of the pain Zack must've felt that day, her back tearing on the ragged, stony ground. She bled from her nose and she bled from her mouth as she coughed, forcing herself her sit up, and trying even harder to stand. Where was Rex? Where was anyone? She could only wonder as she found herself losing the struggle to rise.

The beast drew in on her, "Not…good…!"

Alcie could've sworn it grinned at her as it drew back its mace-wielding arm to swing the almighty hunk of steel ball that hung on the end of a chain.

"He told me to keep you safe," she heard someone say. _Someone…Cloud!_

He forced himself in front of her and stood strongly, even with the injuries of his own, before charging directly for the Vajradhara Rakshasa and stabbing it, earning a deafening scream. The orange-eyed girl sat wide eyed as she watched, pulling herself upwards to stand weakly. Cloud paused for a few seconds, shifting his grip on the handle of his sword, twisting it one-eighty, before surging high into the air, ripping his sword right through the monster. Alcie could've sworn his sword left a pink trail whilst doing so. She dismissed it as hallucination. He landed softly and turned to face her.

Needless to say, the beast was down.

"Wow…uhh, okay, nice one. Thank you," she praised, smiling lightly, her eyes half-lidded.

"Are you alright? You look kinda beat up…"

"Yeah, I can stand," she gasped loudly, "_Cloud_!"

He turned in shock to see a Wutaian Corporal firing his gun towards him. He ducked just in time to avoid a shot in the head. Alcie chose her moment to fire a bullet into the Wutaian's face. It surged into his skin and bone, right below his left eye. Another bullet sailed through his cheek, and a third through his neck. Three bullets fired. Three entry wounds. And an exit.

She chose to ignore his last screams.

"…What…?" he asked, dazed and bewildered.

"…I shot him. What, what?" She answered matter-of-factly.

"Uhh…nice shot…"

"I told you. I've had more to do with shooting than I should. I think…that was the last of them. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. What about you? The hell happened?"

"Uh…Surrexit and I…killed the first Anti-SOLDIER monster, okay? An'…I nearly got squished by it…so I guess we didn't notice a…second one creep up on us. Anyway, to cut to the chase…I threw a grenade, like a _dumbass_ and got caught up in my own blast radius since I…couldn't get away quick enough. Then it hit me with its arm an' so…yeah. Oh an' I got my back done in by a Foulander."

"Okay…how are your injuries?"

"Back? Hurts. Chest? Hurts. Head? Huuurts. Can I take this damn hat off?" She whined, pushing wanly at the edges of her helmet. He chuckled, she seemed okay.

"Yes, you can take it off," he laughed as she pried it from her head.

The men began to gather up again, no one looking particularly better off than any other. Alcie prodded at her ribs, wincing only slightly, deciding herself that she probably hadn't broken anything. Which was good.

The helicopters landed in the flatlands around them and all the men plus one girl saluted, "Sir!" as Angeal stepped from one of them. His voice bellowed over the noise.

"Cadets! Well done. You have successfully completed your first assignment," he grinned, eyeing the cheerful, albeit tired and worn down men shaking hands and clapping. Alcie put an arm around Cloud, leaning on him slightly and using him for support, while smiling and chuckling before cheering out happily.

"When's the next mission?"

* * *

**A/N: Okay, first off, WOW I MANAGED TO WRITE A FIGHT SCENE WITHOUT SEVERELY INJURING MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS. WOO! And secondly, I'M SO MEAN. IT'S VALENTINE'S DAY AND I DIDN'T LET ZACK AND ALCIE BE TOGETHER. Heehee. Gee, Fearlessed? Giving up on a chance for fluff? What's the world coming to?! Don't worry—I got plans :)! Love you guys, thanks for reading!**


	13. Unfading

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: Oh my God…it's been over a month...I'M SO SORRY! But I'd like to send a HUGE thank you to everyone who continued to check on my ass and wait on me. My laptop decided it wanted to crap out so I had to try and fix it. That was a feat in itself. Anyhow, here it is, guys! I love you all! – Fearlessed x**

**Party with my reviewers! **

**Zanarkand-Brotherhood:** Thank you! I pondered over it for a long time before settling on exactly how Alcie would react; she's very emotional, and she struggles sometimes to decide how to feel, which is bound to cause her much turmoil with her feelings for Zack—you know how she is, haha!

**Saber Amane:** Indeed he will! I have plans *taps fingers together evilly* Thanks for coming back!

**VervainGirl:** Thank you very much! I hope you weren't too tired the next day!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned FFVII, I would die of excitement. I'm not dead yet, so...

* * *

**Chapter 13: Unfading**

Boy was sweating getting old. Showering ten times a day is not ideal, but it was something that Alcie was seriously considering, by this point. As if the initial fight wasn't enough, they were taken to Fort Condor for a quick rest and debriefing before enduring a pretty _brutal_ training session with Angeal on hand-to-hand. Which Alcie had to do with a half-exposed back. And sure, while stopped at Fort Condor they had managed to heal up the three, monster-torn gashes into thin red lines—painfully—and they didn't really hurt her after that, but still. There's something about a draft floating around _inside_ your clothing that isn't particularly comfortable. Or welcome. And sweating everywhere only makes it that little more irritating.

So, why was the training brutal? Because she was paired with Cloud. And Cloud, bless him, was not good at distancing. Distancing—or the ability to control the speed, power, and placing of your strikes—was now a large part of his training. It was the same for all new SOLDIER members. You see, SOLDIER members are completely normal people before their enhancements. Better than average, say, but still human. So therefore, the transition between being a regular person in an army to a verging _super-human_ with heightened strength, sense and cognitive ability, can be a bumpy one. A good example being that Cloud now had all the power to knock Alcie out—kill her, even—and the whole point of this side of his training was to ensure that wouldn't happen. It's all well and good, being able to shatter a man's entire ribcage with a well-placed punch, but it's another matter entirely to learn to _not _shatter a man's ribcage with a _misplaced _punch. And Alcie hoped he'd learn to control himself pretty damn quick; she quite liked her ribcage being settled in one piece.

"OW," she yelped as she took a punch to the chin, splitting a cut into her lip. Where her scar was. Great. "Spiky, you hit me _one_ more time and I'll have no choice but to gouge your eyes out and force feed 'em to you!"

"Block then," he paused. "You're gonna make me eat my eyeballs…?"

"Who said I was gonna feed them to your _mouth_?" she smirked darkly.

"Oh…oh, _nice_, Alcie," his facial expression of mild disgust coupled his sarcasm, while she grinned and raised her eyebrows, every ounce of mischief glowing through her eyes of orange. He chuckled. "Grow up."

For the time she was on the ground, at least, she had finally managed to lift the feeling of wanting to regurgitate her breakfast, but all was not in the past and forgotten. It was sad somehow, that a second fight got her over the first. Granted, the second was a lot friendlier, but still. She was new to the whole mentality of the soldier, and her natural tendency to question was biting her on the ass. The debriefing was less of a debriefing than it was a mental debate between Shiva and Ifrit inside Alcie's mind. She didn't want to be brainwashed, but at the same time, compassion is a killer; or at least, _that's what they told her_.

She could only assume that this moral dilemma was one that she would only solve after much more time in the military. But for now, she was happy where she was, if slightly troubled. Cloud had told her—when she expressed her uncertainty—that the hunger for answers, that the questioning of the morals you are _told_ to stand by, is good. Keeps you human.

Human, in a game of monsters.

That, too, spun the cogs in her brain. It was a fine line really, between a human and a mindless beast, monster, killer, _murderer_. A finer line than one might initially think, in fact. She decided not to dwell on it too much though; it was one of those topics she could save to be debated in the lonely hours of the night, where all you want to do is sleep but your brain remains more active than ever

Regardless, the trip back to Midgar was significantly shorter than the first ride, and this time Surrexit joined the pokey-headed blond and the auburn, bouncy ball that had turned steel. It was motion sickness, in fact, that had turned her naturally light, buoy-like demeanour into a rusty anchor. But she was coping alright; it was all she could do, really. Cope.

"Umm…so, anyway," she began, tripping over her words and concentrating deathly hard to avoid saying stupid things in front of her superiors in the cockpit, and Angeal who sat opposite her. While she knew that Angeal wasn't her superior, she also knew that he had a pretty large input on what would become of her as a recruit. "Who actually, like, _owns_ us then? Us in the infantry, I mean."

The younger, blonder SOLDIER member chuckled lightly, "Nice choice of words. Who owns you? Heidegger. You come under the leadership of the Department of Public Relations and Public Safety Maintenance, which Heidegger runs."

"_Oh_. Him? I doubt he runs for anyone…"

Sometimes her motormouth really ran away with her. Perhaps she hadn't meant to speak her thought out loud, but either way, she was lucky her comment was well-received amongst the men around her. She pushed her two forefingers over her mouth in instant regret, but her errant lips curled into an impish smile and she realised, she didn't regret it at all.

Surrexit laughed, knowing that this wasn't going to be the last time she'd say something she probably shouldn't, and Cloud smirked, foreseeing a mischievous streak that was bound to land her in hot water someday. Even Angeal was grinning, although he probably didn't condone her behavioural slip, after all, behaviour was a big thing in the army. She didn't know though, that it was a good thing she was so open, or rather, so poorly closed, because it allowed Angeal to see an honesty shine through her eyes, that one day might save her life.

She coughed lightly to redirect her concentration away from causing mischief, "Uh…yeah. I've heard of him. Why didn't I know that though?"

"Because you weren't in the induction, remember?" Cloud said.

"Ohh…" She chortled breathily and leant forward to look at Rex whose dark-blond hair was now messier than ever before. "Damn. Really set us back, huh?"

"Not really," he said, laughing. "I already knew."

"What? _How_?" She really felt as though she was missing a link. "Did you go to the induction too? But how? I thought you joined like, two days before I did!"

"Chill out, Lenna," He shook his head and smirked, mildly amused by her perplexity. "I told ya. I'm from Rocket Town; the Department of Space Exploration's always in town and they'd like, make us listen to 'em rattling on about ShinRa."

Between her perplexities, Alcie must've noted a rather confused-looking facial expression tinging a certain hyper-blond SOLDIER member's face. The russet-haired girl had completely forgotten that Cloud had no idea who the other infantryman was, let alone how she knew him. She dug her palm into her forehead with a resounding clap, forcing Rex to believe that such was just a random habit of hers.

"Wait, you guys don't know each other, do you? Ugh. I'm so awful at these things. Uh. Cloud Strife, this is…um. This is…_Someone _Surrexit…!" She furrowed her brow and scratched her temple somewhat embarrassedly. She thought it was awkward, but he didn't look as though he was about to tell them. He didn't blame her for not knowing, after all, he hadn't told her. For a reason.

He held a hand out to the Third Class SOLDIER member, "Rex," he said.

Cloud didn't accept. He only paused before he spoke, "Do I…know you from somewhere?"

"Uhh, I can't say you do," the younger boy shrugged, chuckling.

"Huh. Alright. I just feel like I've heard the name somewhere before. You can't really say it's a common name."

"I dunno, man. Must have me confused with someone else."

Cloud chuckled, "Forget it. Motion sickness throws me all off. Ignore me."

Alcie, not really listening, had bent over in her seat and was tugging on the belt that wrapped around one of her ankles, attempting to alleviate some of the discomfort that began to occur. The stiff material was beginning to scrape around her ankles, and she was not best impressed. She bit her tongue gently in thought, sickness welling in her chest, but she brushed it off as motion sickness and veered the conversation back to the largely overweight Heidegger and ShinRa Inc.

"So, okay," she began, attempting to get her head around ShinRa's seemingly crazy hierarchy. "So, there's Heidegger, Head of Public Safety, then there's like, the Director? That…doesn't-make-sense!"

Angeal spoke up. He, more than anyone else there, should've been more than capable of explaining all to the eighteen-year-old, "Of course, you must know President ShinRa and Vice President Rufus. Below those two lie the Department Heads. Can you tell me?"

"Umm. Yeah, let's see…" She tapped her chin in thought, silently wishing she had taken a greater interest in politics before joining the infantry. "Public Safety and Heidegger. Weapons Development is Scarlet. Science and Research, Professor…?"

_Not Gast…_

"Hojo."

"Hojo. Professor Hojo. Space Exploration—"

"—Fat man, Palmer," Rex interrupted.

"Fat man, Palmer," she repeated. "And uh…there's another…and it's not General Affairs…"

Angeal lent her a hand, "Urban Development with Reeve. Good. General Affairs is, in fact, a branch of Public Safety. However, it does retain semi-autonomy as The Department of Administrative Research—the Turks. They will teach you more about that upon your induction on Monday—"

"—Oh, you mean, I actually get to _go_ to one of those? Sweet."

He chuckled, "Yes. Like the Turks, SOLDIER is also semi-autonomous, breaking away slightly from Heidegger's control."

"Ah, so, it's like, President, Vice, Heidegger, Director…you?"

"I suppose it is, yes. If you are a recruit for SOLDIER, then indeed, that makes First Class SOLDIER members your superior."

"Okay, an' my superiors are the Turks instead of SOLDIER members."

Reno called in from the cabin, "You got it."

"Right. An' I had to talk to the Director of SOLDIER because—"

"—Because you missed the damn induction with Heidegger," Cloud laughed.

"Yeah, an' Tseng was off on a mission," said Reno.

"Finally," she laughed. "Well, I never knew there was a _cut-off_ point for infantrymen! Come to think of it, I didn't even know I was going to end up an infantryman…woman…uh. Anyway, if I'd have known, I'd have joined earlier and saved myself from the headache!"

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't worry about it too much. You won't often see Heidegger, unless you get in some serious trouble—well, actually—you'll probably find yourself running into him a lot then," the twenty-year-old Cloud scoffed. His face turned in amusement at the sight of the mock horror that plagued her expression.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" she shrilled, driving her palms into the seat with a massive grin on her face. "I'm not a troublemaker, what're you talking about?"

He half-laughed, "Sure you're not. Anyway, you don't wanna be. They catch everything you do on camera."

"What? _Really_? Where?" She looked around suspiciously with just a hint of paranoia.

He flicked her helmet. On the front sat three red nodes, of sorts, in a triangle formation. He poked the top one, pushing her head back, and explained, "That one. That's a camera."

"You're kidding…? Isn't that, uh…an invasion of privacy?"

"Not really. It only records while the soldier is on a mission and it doesn't record sound."

"Ah. Okay. Then I've really _have_ gotta behave or I _will_ have Heidegger on my ass."

* * *

**Back in Midgar****  
**

"Happy Valentine's Day!" A girl with eyes of maroon chirped happily, winding around the couches in the living area to meet her rather…irritable-looking roommate. "Oooh. Sour milk?"

The younger girl chuckled, her face lightening up slightly, "Something like that."

"How'd your mission go?"

"…Good. But that's it. Isn't that a sick thing to say…? Yeah, _awesome_, I killed a bunch of people and it feels GREAT!" Her sarcasm tainted the air like a disease, her thumbs sticking to the heavens and her overkilled grin served only as testament to her sardonicism.

"Is it a sick thing to say you'll get used to it?"

"Sorta, I suppose. Mm, mixed emotions. But, I mean, it's good in that no one was too seriously hurt—well, my _pride_ was a little dented when Cloud sent me flying with a punch to the gut, but, you know," she laughed, thunder fleeing her face as a sunny smile returned.

"Has his distancing not improved—?"

"—NOPE," she laughed again, briefly wiping her lower lip, on the top of her scar, with the back of her wrist. "And I'm pretty sure splitting the skin of a scar doesn't help healing it."

"Cloud did that too?" The brunette asked, scratching behind her ear somewhat nervously. It was difficult for SOLDIER members to get used to their strength, she knew. But perhaps she felt just a little more responsible at the fact that Cloud, her kinda-sort-of-boyfriend, was the reason Alcie's lip was bleeding. "He went for your face?"

The eighteen-year-old sighed before chuckling sheepishly, knowing her pride was about to be further demolished, "…In his defence, I'm not all that great at blocking. I like how they put me—the terrible block-er, against Cloud, the terrible distance-r. Not a good combination, I was just getting beat up."

Tifa laughed. She did know, from training, that Alcie's blocking expertise was minimal—scratch that—next to non-existent. She had a lot to learn in that field. But Tifa knew that what she lacked in blocking, she could usually make up for in speed, dancing around her adversaries and avoiding them that way. However, that's not particularly useful when you have virtually no room to manoeuvre.

"They were probably hoping you'd improve each other. Don't worry about that though; we'll work on it with you over the coming weeks. And, also, they'll do mental observations on you and such, in order to make sure you can handle the pressure of the fight—"

"—Don't you think they should do that _before_ sending their men on missions?"

"Well, they did. It doesn't take them long, Cee, to figure out whether someone has it in them to go far. If they see something in someone, a spark, say, they'll run with it. Really. They'll push that person as far as they can go, in order to reach that individual's true potential. Most people are capable of more than what it seems at first glance."

"So why were me and Rex put in—?"

"—Because you both showed that potential. You two were the only two from your squad, Cee. You did very well. We wanted to take a few men—or women, clearly—from each group and you two were the only ones we thought were right for the job in yours."

"Ah, okay, I guess. Well, I can tell you've been working hard, Teef," Alcie chuckled, fairly impressed. She figured Tifa must be spending a lot of time with Angeal lately. Or perhaps they were just naturally alike. Hard-workers that always seem to know what they're talking about.

"Yeah, well. I've got to, really. I spent a lot of time with Angeal yesterday," check. The orange-eyed girl's lips quirked up at the corner. "And a little business-y kinda talk with Zack toda—"

"—You spoke to Zack today? How is he?"

Tifa smirked, a glint of mischief shining through red eyes, "Yes and he was…ah. He was alright. He was a little weird, but he was alright."

"…Weird?"

"Yeah, I guess he was worried about you. He told me he wasn't particularly happy that you'd been sent. But, he kinda had to trust that Angeal and I knew what we were talking abo—"

"—_You_ were involved in sending me on that mission?" She shook her head, smirking in mild amusement.

"Not really," she said, clearing her name, "I was involved in passing you and evaluating you, but I wasn't aware they were going to use such information to then send you on a mission."

"Don't look so serious!" The younger girl laughed and lobbed her helmet across the room to land on one of the couches, "I wasn't accusing you of anything! I enjoyed it, if that's possible. I mean, I enjoyed beating up the monsters and that."

"By the looks of your shirt the monsters enjoyed beating you up too," Tifa scoffed.

"That, _yes_. Teef. I'm a day in and I already need a new uniform," she laughed, hopping around and unbuckling the belts that bound her ankles, resulting in a sigh of relief. "I've had it half a day, Tifa. Half a day, and I already need ninety-three per cent of it replacing."

The shorter of the two chuckled, propping herself up on the kitchen counter, sipping some drink she'd made and kicking her heels into the side, "I'm pretty sure you'll get through a lot—"

"—We have an allowance of them, Tifa, I can only take out a certain amount a month an' I'm fairly sure that I can't survive like that—I'm gonna be running around half-NAKED, TIFA!"

The older girl laughed, "You'll hafta take up sewing to spare your decency—"

"—Yeah. I can sew. I'm not too brilliant at it but I used to sew as a kid—"

"—_You_ used to sew, like, sharp needles and crap as a _kid_—?"

"—Uh-huh, seriously Tifa, sharp needles were the least of my troubles in that house," she brushed on quickly, "But, yeah, my Mom was a dressmaker, so when I was little she'd just, you know, always try to get me to learn—she insisted it'd be useful. Man, I kinda hated it though…wearing the dresses, I mean. She'd put me in a dress and half an hour later I'd have broken into my brothers closet and I'd be wearing overalls."

She mentally scolded herself, almost by reflex, upon mentioning even a slither of childhood memory. _No…open up a little, Alcie…it can't hurt. _After a certain conversation with Zack, she wanted now more than ever to just _get over it. _She was growing sick and tired of herself for hiding. _Grow up and deal with it. _She wanted to lift her head from the sand after so many years. She wished it was that easy, anyway. This sand was sinking sand, pulling her head in deeper, choking her, suffocating her, and the more she struggled, the more stuck she became. That was what it felt like. And she knew, she couldn't live that way anymore. She came to Midgar for that very reason—well, _technically_, she came to Midgar on the Goddess's term, but regardless—she came to Midgar to live differently. And if that meant stepping out of her comfort zone, so be it.

"…So, yeah, some kinda…uh…rebellious phase…?"

"That never wore off?" The wine-eyed girl laughed, attempting to lighten the tone.

"Yeah, okay. You got me," she chuckled. "Hey, I'm really not that bad, you know! Everybody seems to think I'm super misbehaved…!"

"Prove us wrong!"

"I can't!"

Tifa pushed her weight off the counter and placed her hands on her hips with an eyebrow raised, "Exactly. Anyway, you coming down to the bar tonight? I'm meeting Cloud there, and it might be a little busy if you're interested in working."

"Yeah, I'm up for that. Is…um. Is Zack going…?"

The older brunette smiled sadly; it was cute to see the girl asking, hoping to see him—he'd be so pleased—but unfortunately, "No. No, he can't. I asked him, but he's busy tonight."

"Ah…that's okay though. It just would've been nice to see him, you know?" The ghost of a smile tugged on her lips as her gaze touched her booted toes. She turned towards her room, "I'll go get ready—"

"—Uh…! There's some clothes ready for you in the bathroom!" She said hastily. "…Go take a shower, Cee!"

She was dusty and dirty. Bloody and grazed. Head-to-toe in small cuts and larger wounds. She stopped in her tracks and laughed sheepishly, "Umm, okay! I _was_ going to, you know. I'm not going out like this! I look like Titan, man."

* * *

"Heya, Alcie."

"Huh…? Sorry, do I—?"

"—You've forgotten me already? This won't go down well in your report, yo!"

"Oh! Reno!" The eighteen-year-old smiled from behind the bar. "I didn't recognise you in your own clothes."

It was true, he did look different. Maybe it was the fact that half his chest wasn't on show for once, or maybe it was because he had no goggles brushing back and taming unruly flames of red that contrasted light blue eyes.

"Nooo! You're supposed to say you don't recognise me with clothes on at all!"

"Oh. _That's _it," she laughed and rolled her eyes. "What can I get you?"

"Ah. Nothin'. I'm just passin'."

"_Ohhh_, you gotta date?"

"With Rude? Sure," he laughed. "Nah. Working late tonight."

"Sucks for you…!"

"You're working too!"

"I am indeed. Observant, aren't you?" She grinned and raised her glass from under the counter. "But I actually _do_ get to drink on the job."

He laughed again, but the creases in his face—his laugh lines—brought her focus to the perfectly symmetrical red marks that defined his bone structure from his temples and across his cheekbones. She hadn't noticed them before, actually, and didn't know what they were. His voice snapped back her attention.

"Lucky you. I could use a drink working with Rude sometimes."

She laughed and covered her mouth with her hand, "You don't mean that."

"Oh, I do. It makes it more fun, yo!" he chimed. "There's only so much paperwork you can do sober."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"You do that. Alright, Alcie, nice ta see ya—oh yeah, I'll see you Monday, right?"

"You got it! I'm not missing _another_ induction…" She mumbled to herself, running her hand through her hair.

"Later, then!" He turned away. The girl waved him off, smiling, and watched him push through the door.

She stood quietly for a moment. Unable to think of anything. Unable to think. A pressure forced through her temple, unstoppable. It turned her stomach over, and threatened to knock her off her feet. Sickness rose in her gut. Sickness. Everything seemed to slow down. Not business. Not customers. No. Time. _Time _seemed to slow. To stop. And with the slow crept in dark. Darkness, a real darkness. She could still see, which was almost unfortunate as what she saw would only frighten her. _Fright_. She pushed her fingers to her forehead in **pain**. An almost unbearable **pain**. And her eyes were overtaken by a deep red. A deep purple. **Blood **red and dampened purple tinges clouded her vision like a **toxin**. A poison. She shook—_convulsed—_heavily and leant on the bar for support. It was all she had. She whined in **pain** but no one seemed to hear. Neither did she. Her hearing. Gone. As though her ears popped and bled. Smell. Gone. Touch. Taste. Numb. Was sight next?

No. She could still see through mists of thick haematic and aubergine tones, thick in the air, smothering. Choking. She thought she saw something through crowds of drunken dancing and drinking, but missed its face. Did it have a face? Black. Pitch black. Blacker than black, if it were possible. Like an abominable black hole sucking only her in to die. She sought for it. Drawn to it. And locked her eyes on it. Drawn to it. That was it. That was what was causing this, she knew. She tried so hard to forget. She clasped hold of a wine glass and scrubbed it down, but somehow, the rough material scratched her skin, peeling it back. Peeling it back…? No. But it felt like her skin was splitting.

"Help!" She screamed. She thought she screamed. No sound left her mouth.

She pried herself away from safety, driven by a force that wasn't her own will. Taking slow strides out from behind the bar. She neared it, but the more she did, the further away it seemed to appear. She weaved through a sea of bodies, keeping her eyes on darkness. When slowly…it turned.

RED. Red eyes. Red eyes.

She gasped and dropped the glass, expecting a smash. No smash. Quiet. It neared her. Slowly. She felt a force pulling her in like a ridiculously strong Gravity spell of Demi.

A smash.

Her head darted up to the sound of a smashing. First thoughts? A fight was breaking out. She wasn't fond of the sound of smashing glass; brought back some nasty memories she'd rather forget, but either way, it brought her attention like almost nothing else. Second? She could hear. She could feel more than the tearing of skin. She could smell. She could taste. And she could see just fine.

It was gone.

It was still dark, sure, but not the colour of blood and damp. People were cheering and drinking and dancing and seemed to note her presence as they bumped into her and weaved around her. She looked to her feet expecting glass and saw nothing. That reminded her.

The smash. She remembered and headed straight for the sound. It led her back to the bar, where a familiar face sat. She completely snapped out of it. Every trace of fear gone. She almost even forgot. Perhaps she did.

"…Cloud—?"

"—^%$#!" He yelled, clearly very aggravated. In pain?

"Oh my Goddess! What've you done?" She asked, worriedly.

"Broke a damn glass…"

"_How_?!"

In his hand—literally,_ in _his hand—lay broken glass now embedded in his palm, blood pouring out of slashed skin. Seemingly a million shards and smithereens of glass dusted the bar and his hand. He moaned in discomfort and frustration, "I guess I was too rough with it. Clearly…"

"CLEARLY!" She cried, taking his hand gently. "Looks like Diamond Dust EXPLODED on your hand!"

"_Thanks_. I just…forgot. Can't even hold a damn glass no more."

"…? Oh, you mean, you forgot how much pressure to use? Sounds rough, man. It'll get better though. Can I laugh?"

"…What?"

"Can I laugh?"

"WHY?"

"Because it's funny—"

"—It's _not_ funny—"

"—Come _onnn_, it's a little funny—"

"—It's _not _funny, Alcie!"

"You're like, what, twenty? And you can't control a glass—that's funny!"

The eighteen-year-old laughed at his scowl and led him upstairs slowly. She could vaguely hear some other SOLDIER members wolf whistling and heard someone yelling something along the lines of, "Spiky's getting' lucky!" to which the blond responded by flipping the guy off with his good hand and smirking faintly, shaking his head.

"Speaking of getting lucky, where's Tifa? Evidently she needs to be keeping a better eye on you!"

"She's downstairs somewhere. Why?"

"Nothin'… It's just, she'd probably be better at patching this up than me, but I'll do my best."

"…Thanks," he said.

Alcie took him into the bathroom and helped him remove the glass from his skin. The tip of her tongue emerged from her mouth as she concentrated with tweezers. Cloud could've sworn she was enjoying herself as he groaned slightly in mild discomfort.

"You masochist."

"I'm not a masochist!"

"You kinda are."

"I'm not!" She pouted and ran his hand under the tap. Holding his wrist down with one hand and rummaging through a medicine cabinet with the other, she pulled out some bandages and dried off his hand.

"OW."

"You deserved that."

"MASOCHIST."

"What're you two _kids_ doing in here?" The voice sounded amused and the sound of their foot tapping on tile filled the air. Tifa.

"Your dumbass _boyfriend _here cut his hand on a glass," She bit her tongue and avoided his death glare as she bandaged him up tightly.

"Oh, so the broken glass I just cleaned up downstairs, that was you?" Tifa stifled a grin as his face changed colour.

"Uhh…yeah, sorry, Tifa," he scratched the back of his head somewhat nervously before studying his bandages. "Thanks, Alcie."

The latter girl shook her head dismissively, leaving Tifa to speak.

"Don't worry about it, Cloud. Put a Potion on that when you get home though, alright? And make sure all the glass is cleared out of the wound, otherwise you'll be in—"

"—I'm pretty sure Alcie here saw to that. She took half of my skin away too."

"I did not!" The russet-haired girl shrilled, grinning at the unfair accusation. "Look, it was that or you potion it up then _tear the wound open again _when you realise there's still glass in there. That's painful."

"And you would know _how_?"

"Because I've done it. Does that surprise you? It doesn't surprise Tifa."

"Yeah, no, it really doesn't," the brunette agreed.

"Right. I'm clumsy and the window got in my way. What can I say?"

* * *

A lightly intoxicated girl of auburn hair stumbled in through the door into a dark apartment, rubbing the wall in a highly suggestive manner in a desperate search for the light switch. She wasn't drunk, no. She was at that stage of feeling oddly contented, like everyone loves you. She hadn't even drank much, but she had an empty stomach, and so the drink had gone to her head quickly.

The lights flicked on, blinding the eighteen-year-old and forcing her to shield her eyes or suffer permanent blindness—well, maybe it wasn't that bright. Her bafflement amused the older girl, whose finger lay on the switch.

"Wrong wall, Cee."

"Hunh…? Oh. Oh damn," She laughed, squinting and silently cursing the blasted white lights. "I'm tired. And I'm hungry. But…I smell something good…!"

Tifa chuckled knowingly, "Yeah. Smells almost like someone's been in here. And, oh, smell that. It sounds like it's smelling from your room!"

"It sounds like it's smelling…?"

"From your room, yeah," the brunette laughed. "Go. Go look, take a look."

Alcie glared at her friend suspiciously, who by this point was grinning madly and stifling laughter. She didn't take her eyes of her as she backed away and gingerly pushed open her door, fearing what she might find. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened just one while peering through. She gasped.

"The hell…?"

A smile tugged her lips. She valiantly tried to stifle it, biting them and begging them not to separate into a grin. She didn't know why she was trying to hide it. But she failed miserably anyway.

On her bed lay a note, a rose, and a heart-shaped box.

"Tifa…? Does this have something to do with you?"

"Only as far as giving Zack my key," she laughed.

"But I…I thought—!"

"—Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, Cee. He felt bad because he couldn't see you today. And because he can't see you tomorrow."

The russet-haired girl gently fingered a piece of paper, unfolding it with her heart beating hard into her chest. Expectation? What the hell was all this? She was so confused, with a goofy-looking grin plastered on her face that she was unable to shift. She was going to have to get used to the feeling of blood surging to the face, it was beginning to become a regular occurrence. If only Zack could've been there to see, he would've enjoyed it, revelled in it.

"What's it say, huh?" The older girl tried her hardest to contain her excitement, practically shaking in her boots, her fists clenched.

"What if I don't wanna tell ya?" She turned from her friend in mock disgust with her nose in the air.

"Ah! This wouldn't have happened without me, young lady!"

"Nah, I'm kidding, I'll read it." She unfolded it one last time, revealing the neatly written—okay, maybe not so neat. His handwriting was somewhat bubbly and a little smaller than Alcie's own. A mixture of cursive and print, and it didn't really seem to follow a very straight line. She smiled, it was so boyish. She skimmed it quicker than she could properly register what was written in a ditch attempt to ensure she didn't read something she'd prefer to keep to herself. She didn't know what like, though.

"Happy Valentine's, Cee. Sorry I couldn't spend much time with you today, I really wanted to but you had your mission and I ended up on one afterwards. Which sucked. I hope you're okay and safe anyway, I spoke to Angeal to check and he said you're okay so that's good." She smiled and shook her head lightly, secretly overjoyed that she wouldn't have to read out some sappy letter and deal with the embarrassment. "I hope you had a good day. I missed having you around, you know. Smiley face. Zack. Kiss."

"That's actually…really sweet," Tifa smiled.

"Yeah…aww…he's so lovely!" She laughed and blushed lightly, chewing the inside of her lip. "I don't really like romance-y stuff, it embarrasses me but…this is perfect. So…what smells so good…?"

Tifa just raised an eyebrow before looking to what was seemingly a box of chocolates, motioning for Alcie to follow her gaze, "Is it that?"

"Why would it be that though?" Perplexity danced on her face as she picked up the box and gently removed the lid and breaking out hearty guffaws. "Oh my Goddess!"

"What?"

"He stuffed a pizza in it!"

* * *

**A/N: Aw, silly Zacky failing at romance. But of course…we mustn't forget…what on Gaia happened in the bar…?**


	14. Drugged Up To The Nines

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: My apologies…again…for the slow update, but my previous internet provider cut off, and my current one took a whole month to deliver a router! The cheek of it! But the chapter is here now and I hope you don't absolutely hate me because it's not my fault! Please! Don't kill me! Ahhhh! *dramatically dies* You know, I should really stop wasting your time, haha. Enjoy the read! – Fearlessed x **

**Honey-sweet babies!**

**Zanarkand-Brotherhood:** All will be revealed…eventually. Mwahahaha. I'm serious, I have this story planned like, right up until the end. It's not over yet! (Or for the next bajillion chapters…!)

**Exponention:** Thanks very much! I hope you continue to read!

**Disclaimer: **I'm not even interested in owning the rights to Final Fantasy VII, to be honest, I'm only interested in owning a human being who looks, feels, and sounds exactly like Zack Fair and, you know, have him return my affections. Is that too much to ask?!

* * *

**Chapter 14: Drugged Up To The Nines**

**Late. Again.**

"REX!" Alcie cried. Loudly. Loudly enough to wake up anyone in the neighbouring apartments, in fact. Yes, she was making more noise than a stampede of hungry chocobos chasing down a single gysahl green as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, bashing the aforementioned blonde's door in. She didn't know what was coming first: a hole burning into the door, or her knuckles shredding down to the bone. She didn't care either. Whichever came first. "You open this door RIGHT NOWor I'll knock it down! Don't think I won't!"

Unsurprisingly, and rather wisely, the nineteen-year-old latched the chain across the door before opening it, and pushed his face into the small gap it made. His shit-eating grin was ever prominent as he wound her up, slowly. "Have we met?"

"Say, these hinges look _weak_…!"

"Fine, fine," he said as he closed the door and pulled off the chain. "What's the password?"

"On the deathbeds of Wutaian Gods and Gaian Goddesses, I will _burn_ you."

Funnily enough, the door swung open, but the messy-haired, fool of a soldier was nowhere to be seen. Hiding behind the door for safety. Who can blame him?

"Welcome to my humble abode."

"Humble abode? Get out," She scoffed, shaking her head lightly. She even laughed—briefly—before her urgency returned to her, much sooner than Rex could have ever hoped. "You said you'd be done by now! What're you doing?!"

"Chill, girl!"

"Do _not_ tell me to chill!" She couldn't stifle that laugh which, unfortunately for her, reduced her threatening levels down to about minus six.

"Whatcha gonna do? Sue me?"

"Yeah. For damages."

"What damages?"

"The damages I do to your _face_ if you don't hurry up!"

"But Lenna, you're forty-five minutes early—"

"—No! Fifteen minutes late—!"

"—Forty-five minutes early," the boy pointed to a clock and could only laugh at the confusion that played on Alcie's face. "Look. Zero Six Fifteen hours."

"B-but my clock! It said—_Tifa_…!"

"Your clock said 'Tifa'? That's a clever clock you got."

The eighteen-year-old glared in the face of his sarcasm. "She must've turned my clock forward an hour…!"

"Can you blame her after how late you were to class the other day?" He jabbed.

"Okay. One. I was only half an hour or so late. Two. Periods are—"

"—Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. I do _not _need to hear your stories of your monthly problems, hell no!"

"_Unforgiving,_ was all I was going to say. Chill, _girl_…!"

Practice really does make perfect; Alcie was sure Rex's mock death glare could quite possibly burn through walls, but unfortunately for Mr. Surrexit, it couldn't penetrate her mischievous beam. He broke into a grin and restated, "You were still late."

"I was, yes. And I admit that," she tucked a few strands of unruly, coppery hair behind her ear absent-mindedly before yawning. She defended herself when he looked as if confused, "What? I missed a whole hour's sleep!"

"Aww, you missed your beauty sleep?" He pinched her cheek and grinned. It was a good thing Alcie had a good sense of humour, because what he said next could very well have landed him a black eye. "You need it."

"You're such an ass, Rex." She started to laugh. She understood Rex's tongue-in-cheek attitude, and knew better than to take everything he said to heart. Plus, the grin he had on his face gave him away every time.

"A _nice_ ass?"

"Nicest ass I ever did see."

He sniggered and ruffled her hair until it covered her face. "Let's get outta here."

Alcie blindly stumbled out after him, madly trying to part her hair with her fingers in a ditch effort to make herself look at least _half_ presentable. She was fairly unsuccessful but wasn't too bothered. It wasn't like she was dressed to impress anyway. She was clad in her nicely uncomfortable infantry uniform, with a new shirt. She'd tried to sew that old one up—and Tifa tried too—but both turned out as fruitless attempts. She then had to turn up to her next class with half her back on show. _That _was an interesting class.

But by now, a few days after her first mission, she'd been granted a brand spanking new shirt that she found at least ten times more uncomfortable than the last. Fabulous. For all she complained about it, you would've thought she didn't like the uniform, but really, she did. It gave her a sense of belonging, and a strong sense of camaraderie. What might just be a shirt and pants to anyone else was a brand of trust amongst her and her comrades. Who wears that uniform is a teammate, a friend. And someone you can trust with your life.

The same went for SOLDIER, the Turks, and the Security Department. The military was a tighter knit than Alcie had ever expected. It was unlike anything she'd experienced before. She wondered if it were the same for the soldiers in Wutai and their so-called Crescent Unit that she didn't know much about, but she doubted their military could possibly be as well-formed and directed as ShinRa's, but perhaps her vision was blinkered.

She was blinkered in other aspects of her life too. Uncertain and uneasy. Perhaps it was the sleeping pills ShinRa had given her to tide her over the nights, but her slumber had been riddled with more nightmares than normal, and she hadn't had much contact from the Goddess for a number of days. She'd wondered if maybe it was all some kind of dream, but something niggled in the back of her brain, begging her to believe in what she'd seen. She found her memory fragmented, and found herself straining to remember something that she didn't understand. Something that happened in the bar, maybe? She couldn't remember. It was gone.

But when anyone said anything regarding glass or _darkness_…she heard a familiar ringing crack through her skull that she couldn't seem to shift.

And speaking of familiar, whilst sword training with Rex—ah, minus the sword—oh, and minus the behaving and learning—_and_ whilst being thrown across the room, by Rex—Alcie caught wind of a conversation between Angeal and someone she thought she knew.

She allowed Rex's throw to take her to the wall, her feet planted into it firmly. Although Rex would tell you it must've been a fluke, Alcie would insist it were pure skill, but either way, she hopped to the ground surprisingly softly, and neared her instructor and a boy of ashen brown hair.

"Oh, and Cyrillys…" The blue-eyed SOLDIER member by the name of Angealwas saying.

"Cyrillys…?" Alcie repeated, intrigue spiking her tongue. "It can't be…"

The girl with bronze-coloured hair slowly walked over to Angeal almost suspiciously, earning some mighty confused—and downright justifiable—looks from Rex. She failed to notice, and just continued walking up to Angeal and this 'Cyrillys' boy.

_If I could just see his face…_

"Something wrong, Miss Lenna?" The raven-haired man asked, his stern brow only slightly more furrowed than usual.

"Heya, Alcie—"

"—Matt! Oh my Goddess, what're you doing here?" She fairly squealed, her eyes wide enough for them to fall out, seemingly.

"Livin' the dream, what else?" His grey eyes shone coolly, lit up by his quiet smile, and he really looked quite pleased to be recognised.

"Miss Lenna? I thought you said you didn't know anyone in Midgar…?" Angeal asked with a hint of distrust. Rightly so, she supposed. They don't really like liars in the military.

"So did I!" The cadette chuckled. "Angeal, sir, this is Matthew. He lives—or used to live—in Kalm Town an-and that's where I'm from! But…? What're you doing here?"

"I left for Mythril Mines but decided I _really_ didn't wanna be a miner—"

"—Can't blame you," she rolled her eyes at the thought. It seemed like kids from Kalm were being _forced_ into mining, not choosing the path. "So you came here to be what you always wanted to?"

"Pretty much. It's good to see you again, Alcie. It's been a while."

"Yeah, it really has…!" She shook her head lightly in disbelief.

"I see you've met my roomie!" Rex came over, grinning like a madman, and hooked his arm around the boy's neck.

"No way, you're roommates…?" She asked in mild disbelief. _How have I not noticed you were here before? I must've been really swallowed up in my own little world…_ She scratched the back of her head. She really couldn't believe she'd ran into someone she knew. Granted, she didn't know him well, and her younger brother probably knew him better, but still. He was a human she recognised as a friend, and he was joining her in her crazy venture in the infantry.

"Yeah," Matt said. He was shorter than Rex, if only by a little. Alcie tried to remember how old the boy was, and decided he was probably eighteen by now. She knew he was younger than her, but for the life of her couldn't remember his birthday.

Rex grabbed the boy in what was practically a bear hug-tackle hybrid and grinned wildly. "He's my lover."

Matt laughed and tried to shove him away. "Get off me, dumbass."

The dirty-blond messed up Matt's hair and laughed as the boy showed his rather clear distaste. Alcie sniggered and jeered, "I bet you two have all the fun."

"I hope that's not sarcasm, Miss Lenna, I'm having the time of my life here!" Rex boomed loudly, wrestling and messing around with the younger boy.

"You guys are such dorks," she jabbed, laughing.

All three of the _children_ managed to miss the looming presence of a certain superior. Angeal didn't, but he decided that between the two possible outcomes, allowing said superior to sneak up on them and grill their asses a little would be the most likely to draw a chuckle from his throat; it had been a long day, and even he needed a laugh sometimes. This superior thought the same. He snuck up behind them. Not that he had to try very hard, they weren't paying any attention. He chose to sneak up behind the girl who was crouched down, giggling over…_something_ or other.

"_CADETS!_"

Alcie screamed, "HOLY SHIT—"

"—WHO THE—WHAT THE—"

"—REX! GET YOUR HAND OFF MY FACE!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"WILL YOU SHUT _UP_!?"

Alcie's hands shot up in the surrender motion, and as previously mentioned through frightened screams, Rex's palm was thoroughly dug into Matt's cheek. In return, he pushed Rex in an attempt to force him away and only managed to trip him over. Why? Because Rex had lost the ability to move one of his legs. _Why_? Because Alcie had tied the boys' legs together with a belt. Why—no one will ever know.

As you can imagine, Matt fell ass over tit, sprawled out on top off Rex, his forehead buried in the floorboards. Alcie didn't dare to turn and face her punishment.

"THIS WAS NOT MY DOING!" She cried, trying not to grin as she lied through her teeth.

"Oh, REALLY? Belts just buckle themselves then, do they?" Matt scoffed, chewing wood, Alcie assumed.

"Yes. Yes, I think they do."

"_Cadets_?"

"Oh, SHIT." Rex kicked his leg around violently like a fish flopping out of water until the belt gave way and he was able to stand quickly to salute his superior. Matt could only follow suit. "SIR," they yelled in unison.

Alcie turned around slowly with one eye closed and her face covered by her hands. _Oh Goddess…not Tseng, _please_ not Tseng…what a bad first impression that'd be—NOT SEPHIROTH, PLEASE NOT SEPHIROTH…!_

"_Zack_!"

_Is that worse?_

The raven-haired boy smirked and his face generally opened as he spoke, "Miss Lenna."

She covered her mouth and started to giggle. She tried to stop, she really did. Giggles turned into fits of laughter, until her cheeks took a red tinge in blood rush, "Hah…! I'm sorry…! I'm sorry, uh, sir!" She saluted with a huge grin on her face.

"_This_ is one of your best students? Really?" He scoffed, looking at Angeal.

"Hey!"

She grinned up at him, choosing to ignore the twenty-odd pairs of eyes that were more than likely watching her and the twenty-two-year-old Puppy that she was dating but hadn't seen all that much lately. He must've been busy. Doing…whatever SOLDIER First Class members do. Missions probably. Zacking, maybe.

"Causing mischief again?"

"No—!"

"—You're such trouble, Lenna," he grinned at her.

She laughed along and scratched the back of her head somewhat nervously, "I was behaving until Rexy here took away my weapon and like, spun me 'round like a helicopter and threw me at the wall."

"You landed it; quit complainin'!" The hazel-eyed nineteen-year-old called.

"I'm gonna beat you with a stick," she threatened, her tone almost black but her eyes shining bright.

He threw her back her training pole and drew his own. What? Angeal couldn't possibly trust this lot with sharp swords and leave them to their own devices, no, no. He's not a stupid man. So he gave them wooden poles to beat each other up with instead. Well, they needed _something_. And blades were not in the question. Not yet.

"Beat me with a stick then," he taunted devilishly.

She hooked the tip of her pole in the mint green collar around Rex's neck—identical to her own, of course. She pulled him towards her, her roguish grin growing, "Game on."

"Cadets, resume your training!" Angeal boomed as if he were listening. His concerns were elsewhere though, and he pulled Zack over for one of those First Class Club Meetings, Alcie supposed. It was much more likely that they were discussing the potential of each cadet, but Zack couldn't help but glance over to Alcie every now and again. Okay, every five seconds or so, what's the difference?

Perhaps Angeal should've been keeping a closer eye on those two students in particular. They were keen to learn, almost too keen, in fact, because they were both prone to distraction. For instance, if you were to ask them to train together using hand-to-hand only, you can guarantee one or the other would pick up a stone. Or a mace. Whatever can grab them the win. Angeal should've known that sword practice wouldn't remain sword practice for long.

And it didn't.

Rex shoved his pole into hers, horizontally, a dull thud ringing through her ears. The vibration travelled up to her fingers as she met his force. They smirked through their duel, but Rex had a slight advantage, and with a second shove, pushed her backwards, leaving her open for a jab to the gut.

She batted away his attack and spun to smack him in the side. Her back was open. The whipping and cracking noise of Rex's pole made Alcie wince more than the actual pain. That was going to bruise. She pushed him away with a sharp jolt to the rib, but he was back too soon. Pole on pole again. With his he pushed down into her, height and strength on only his side. The girl could feel the building of tension through the wood and knew not if it could hold the stress. The pressure shook her frame.

"Buckling under the heat, Alcie?" He leered.

"Never…!"

Her heels ground into the floorboards but let go she wouldn't. Rex ducked under, sliding the end of his pole to smash up into her chin. She bit her tongue. Blood. She yelped without the time to curse. He left her no recovery and jabbed her gut and shoulder swiftly. He was quick. Almost too quick for her to match.

She ducked under a swing and parried his thrusts and feints. Unable to switch from the defensive. He had a knack for control that she had yet to master, and it was showing. She did all she could do.

Well, there are no rules on the field.

She pulled a would-be-illegal slide tackle to his shins and forced her foot into his back to spin him around. Around she twirled the pole like a propeller to weaken his jaw before cracking her leg up into his chin. Her momentum didn't dampen. She bent to pirouette and cracked a roundhouse to the chest. Both his and her poles hit the ground, bouncing and clunking when—

She smacked her hands to cover her mouth as his back hit the wall.

Several heads turned towards to wreckage that was Rex's limbs.

He bounced back up, shook out his arms and legs and chimed surprisingly cheerfully, "WHA—THAT WAS AWESOME!"

"It—uh, I—ahh…" She scratched the back of her head. "Whoops…?"

"What are you two _doing_?" Angeal demanded an answer. He looked at his equal, Zack, "You can't leave them alone for two seconds—they're as bad as you."

Zack blinked in his confusion. Confusion at firstly, Angeal had managed to chide him when he didn't recall throwing any cadets into wall, and secondly, _one of the cadets had just been thrown into the wall_. What was going on exactly?

"…_What_?" Was all the young SOLDIER First managed to spit out.

Quite.

Rex pointed at Alcie childishly, but it was Matt who spoke, "Rex just got his ass handed to him is all."

"My ass is still quite nicely in place, thanks."

Alcie's pumpkin-coloured eyes rolled around, following an imaginary fly buzzing around the room, in order to hide from eye-contact. Zack chuckled, "Alcie?"

"What? He just _threw_ himself at the wall like a bedlamite! He's outta control. Outta CONTROL!" Her frantic hand movements only implied that _she_ was the only out of control one around.

The grey-eyed Matt scoffed, "Because he's really going to believe that—"

"—Shhh! He might be stupid!" She laughed and took off her helmet to run a hand through her hair.

"C'mon. Show us what you did…Miss Lenna," Zack said, a smile tugging at his lips slowly. She wished she could say no, but, that _face_…!

"I, uh…sir…" She saluted with the hand that was holding the helmet, absent-mindedly, and knocked herself in the forehead with it. She looked somewhat stunned but turned to face Rex. "Come along, little Rexit. Come get beat up a bit more—"

"—What? I didn't sign up for this!" He sputtered, still sore from the last meeting with the wall.

"No, not on Surrexit," the boy with the lavender in his eyes said.

"Thank Gaia…!"

"I mean…show _me _what you can do."

"IN BED—"

"—Shut it, Rex," she had intended to laugh, but managed to interrupt herself in talking to the younger of the black-haired SOLDIER members. "You want me to…hit you?"

"Yeah!" He chirped over-excitedly. "I wanna know what the hell you did to that Anti-SOLDIER monster back last week—"

"—You want me to shove a halberd through your throat?"

"Well, no," he shook his head and laughed. "You know what I mean. Come on. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Oh Goddess, don't tempt fate."

"Just do it—it's an order," he flashed her a pearly-white grin.

_That's just not fair…! Loophole? Loophole?!_

"B-but, you're not my superior!"

"Maybe not directly, but your squad is under my royal leadership," he grinned widely like the goofy puppy Alcie had come to know.

"Royal leadership," she scoffed. "But—!"

"—Orders are orders, Lenna!" Rex chimed.

_Four—no, more than four—six years of control training…my Goddess, he better be good at what he does or I'm dead… He's a member of SOLDIER…he can take more than Rex can…what if that means I can't even make him budge…? Ohhh…! DO I HAVE TO?_

"Yes. Yes you do," Zack confirmed.

She looked off to the right, briefly wondering how much she'd said aloud, before sighing, pushing her helmet back on and grabbing a training pole. "You're not gonna try an' kill me, are you?"

He grinned and took a pole. "Maybe. Whenever you're ready."

Alcie narrowed her eyes very slightly in a rushed attempt to size him up. As an opponent—not like that! _Focus! _She scolded. She could vaguely hear the ramblings of other cadets saying things like, "Aren't they dating…?" but chose to ignore them. _Wow, word gets around _fast_—no, no. Ignoring._

"Okay…let's do this, Fair."

She struck his pole repeatedly, lightly, but hard enough to fool him. Quickly. He furrowed his brow, uneasy. Surely she hit harder than that? She darted in and knocked his face a little harder.

He smacked back with his pole. She took it. It cracked into her jaw and the blood from her tongue slid off her lip. He knew not that the blood hadn't been caused by him, which unnerved him. She made with an upward slice.

Confused, he blocked her off by forcing his pole downwards into hers, buckling her knees. He was more than surprised by what he met.

She shot her legs straight with a much greater force, shoving him off her. She released a hand on one end of the pole, allowing the other to crash into the side of his head. The dull thudding filled the air. He, rightly stunned by her deception, slammed his pole towards her, snapping hers. Perhaps he had forgotten who he was fighting.

She gasped lightly, gawking at her broken stick. No time to yell. She ducked under a swing. The whipping sound ripping through the air. She did the only thing she thought she could to protect herself from Zack's overhead slam.

She ripped her helmet off her head and lifted it on her fist. Her teeth gritted in anticipation. The sound of both her knuckles cracking sharply and a knee hitting the floorboards filled the air, gruesomely, as her helmet and fist took the heavy blow.

"_What_?" He fairly yelled.

She gave him no intermission. With a newly "gloved" hand, she sent a harsh hook to the jaw, beat his rib with the half of the pole she had, and slammed her foot into his chin. Rex knew the next part all too well.

"Kick his ass!" The blonde yelled in over-excitement.

She grinned into her half-pirouette and smashed her full weight into a roundhouse kick to the lower chest. Oh.

He hit the wall alright.

Such an ungraceful crash. Granted, he might only have been about a foot off the ground, but he still hit that damn wall. That mattered. He slumped to his feet and even groaned slightly before speaking, "That…wasn't what I was expecting…"

"What _were_ you expecting?" She shook out her arm as she made her way over to him, smiling sweetly over the discomfort. A blow like that surely can't be good for the joints.

"I dunno. A _clean _fight?" He took her helmet and pushed it back over her head, hiding her eyes.

She smiled and uncovered her vision, her eyes of pumpkin gleaming at him. "No such thing as a clean fight, Zack!"

He chuckled. "Huh. Turks material is right. You sound just like 'em."

The eighteen-year-old couldn't help but feel impressed by Zack's resilience to a beating. She knew it was expected, really. Of course it was; he was in SOLDIER. But even still, he got up like he hadn't felt anything at all. He scratched the back of his head as though it _hadn't_ just cracked into the wall, and he smiled at her like she hadn't even touched him. She hoped she could get to that point someday.

She brushed his chin with her finger lightly and carefully, tracing over a graze her boot had gifted him. "Uh…sorry," she chucked before looking up into his eyes and grinning, eyes bright and elated. "We have such a strange relationship."

"That we do," he laughed and placed his hands on her hips almost gingerly. "We need an _actual_ date."

She gasped in mock horror, trying so hard to hide the shock his touch gave her. "Whoa, like normal people? No way. Too risky."

"Friday," he smiled. "I'll come pick you up from your place."

She looked at the floor and smiled before grinning back up at him. "Okay. Friday then."

"Dismissed!" Angeal boomed, voice even louder than his build, if it were possible. His voice distracted the russet-haired girl, and she wandered off slightly from Zack's subtle grip.

"DUDE!" Of course, such a loud, excited voice (when there was no reason to be excited) could only possibly come from Surrexit.

"Way to go, Danny's sister!" Matt chimed, intentionally trying to wind her up. Seemed like everyone was doing that. She failed to understand the attraction.

Rex laughed fairly manically. Not unusual. For him. "You just—you just like, you just _floored_ Zack Fair! What _are _you?"

"Walled him, actually," she scoffed half-heartedly.

Zack approached her, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Your friends?"

"Uh-huh," she smiled. _Your friends, Alcie. You have friends again. Try not to screw it up…? _"This is Matthew Cyrillys—he's actually from my town, but I hadn't seen him for a few months. And that thing is—"

"—I'm just a _thing_?" The blonde boy smirked in his amusement. He would've laughed. Would've given her some kind of witty comeback or bantering slur, and at the time, Alcie didn't understand why he didn't. That was what she was provoking him for, anyway. But it occurred to her later, that it would've been because Zack was there, and Zack was someone he must've wanted to leave a good impression on. She remembered Rex telling her that he idolised Zack, and part of her wanted to ask why. The other part of her told her not to be silly, Zack was Zack. Of course he was idolised.

"Yeah. That thing is…Rex, you know, I'm getting _tired_ of trying to introduce you to people…!" She laughed as he did, yet he still said nothing in response. She just boomed out anyway, "Rex Surrexit!"

"Surrexit…" Zack echoed, scratching the back of his head. "You don't…I don't know you…? You're not…you can't…"

Rex's tongue and tone changed, "Sorry, sir. I don't think there's any chance you might know me."

Alcie looked between the two boys, confused. "Wait, wait. What? Didn't Cloud think he knew you too, Rex?" When she got no reply, she turned to the eldest of the four. "Is something wrong, Zack?"

Usually bright, lavender eyes sat downcast, locked on a distant target that Alcie couldn't find. She tried to, but succeeded only in meeting nothingness. She put herself in his line of sight, and when he looked right through her, he might as well have been physically slicing through her feelings with a blade, if it were possible. It hurt her. Not that she knew why. She glanced at Matt, but he looked just as perplexed as she did.

"You don't understand either?"

"No, oh Goddess, I just thought I was going insane."

"Maybe we both are…" She mumbled to anyone who was listening.

The girl snapped out of it and immediately turned to face Zack again when he showed sign of movement; his jaw hitched and his eyes closed, his brow knitting together.

"Zack…?"

He opened his eyes on the sound of her voice and took a deep breath. "It's nothing."

Alcie's features traced and projected her uncertainty as she turned to face the other silenced boy. "…And Rex?"

"What?"

"You kinda went hyper-space-out too."

"I did?" He only laughed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to."

"Come on, let's get out of here. We were dismissed like, eighty-three years ago," Cyrillys whined and headed out of the door.

"Yes, because that makes so much sense," Alcie scoffed dryly and trotted out after the grey-eyed.

Rex saluted his superior. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Uh, yeah. You too," Zack replied, somewhat slowly. He watched as the boy left and scratched the back of his head when a certain someone distracted him.

Alcie poked her head around the door, her hair falling to the side. She grinned. "You coming?"

The raven-haired boy smiled and ran a hand through his hair before following her out. Maybe he thought his fingers would comb out his troubles, but no such luck was to be found.

* * *

**Later**

Four pairs of seemingly uncoordinated feet stumbled through the corridors of SOLDIER quarters "stealthily," but they were about as subtle as a brick. Make that a flying brick, in fact. Or a gun that fires bricks. But in any case, you would have to be much quieter than the train of laughter and shoddy footwork that they were if you want to sneak through a building filled with men with genetically engineered hearing.

"Is he in there…?"

"What? Of course he's in there. I'm never wrong about these things!"

"But what if he's got a bird in there or something?"

"Why would he have a bird—?"

Alcie pushed her forehead into the wall, suitably. "He means 'girl,' Rex."

"Oh," the boy laughed and looked at her, eyes of a blameless shine. So blameless, that Alcie couldn't roll her eyes seriously. His eyes wrinkled like paper in the corners. "Yeah, okay. That makes much more sense."

"Does it? Cloud? With a girl? No sense to be seen there." A laugh. Zack's laugh. "But actually, he's just netted your instructor, guys."

"_Angeal_?"

"_No_, dumbass," Matt jabbed, fairly astounded by Surrexit's assumption. "Tifa."

"Oh, Tifa? Damn, Tifa's taken?"

"YES, she's taken!" Alcie shrilled, fearing for her friend's safety, sanity and general, all-round well-being. "Don't you even so much as _think_ about touching her with your grubby little mitts, Rex!"

Rex's face twisted in exaggerated distaste, and his words were stressed as if he were offended by such an outrageous indictment, "…My mitts aren't grubby."

"They probably are pretty grubby, Rex," Matt agreed, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards.

"Don't encourage her, man—agh, whatever, lay off!" The dirty-blonde pouted sulkily and shoved whoever was laughing at him into a nearby wall. It happened to be Alcie. "No but, if he's dating Tifa, who's to say they're not like, bangin' in there?"

"Me's to say. She wouldn't…!" Alcie exclaimed, giving him a nice shove back, defending her friends defiantly…not so defiantly.

"You don't sound so sure," Zack prodded.

"I am _extremely_ sure. You've got his spare key, Zack. Pass pass."

"They're in my pocket." He grinned. Mischievously.

_Oh no_.

She stared at him with pinched eyebrows, her lips held tight like a rosebud, considering her move. Call; she called his bluff. What she assumed was a bluff, anyway. She pushed her hand into his pocket and rummaged for his keys.

"Damn." Matt snickered boyishly. "Go easy."

"I'm looking for keys. Nothing more," she insisted.

"You know, I'm surprised you haven't said anything about this yet, Rex." The grey-eyed boy of Kalm Town smirked. "The possibilities are endless; you're letting yourself down."

"I'm waiting for the right moment."

"This is a big thing for you, isn't it?"

"Oh yes."

"Zack, I can't _find_ anything!" Alcie whined loudly.

"There it is—"

"—'CUS THERE'S NOTHING THERE!" Rex broke into guffaws in light of his own joke before stopping abruptly to salute. "Sorry, sir."

But Zack wasn't paying attention anyway, he just grinned at the girl who pouted in her defeat. "They're up here."

She shot her gaze to his face and followed it up his arm. Disbelief was written all over her face, even if she did look rather amused.

He held the keys above his head and smirked. "Wrong pocket."

"Ah—I hate you." She screwed up her face before laughing and jumping to snatch them from him. He just smiled and shook his head infinitesimally as she poked her tongue out at him and slotted the key into the door. But she stopped without turning it. Doubt speared her gut. Her knees buckled and her forehead knocked into the door. "Um… What if they _are_ banging…?"

"They aren't _banging_!" Zack laughed, turned the key and pushed open the door before Alcie even registered his speech.

So, the auburn-haired girl fell through the door as her support had failed her. She kept her footing somehow, and stumbled into the apartment, closely followed by her three male companions. But it was quiet. Everywhere. There was no blonde ball of spiky fuzz to be seen.

"You said you're always right about these things!" Grey-eyed Matt proclaimed.

"Actually, I said I'm never wrong." Alcie corrected.

"You do realise that means exactly the same thing, right?"

She looked down and off to her left in thought before brushing him off and wandering over to a door. "No. He's in here somewhere."

Zack tried to warn her, "Yeah but wait, Alcie, that's the—"

It was too late. She'd opened the door.

"OH, SHIT. WHY ARE YOU NAKED, MAN?"

"WHY ARE YOU IN MY BATHROOM?!"

"—Bathroom…" Zack finished, scratching the back of his head.

"WHY NUDE THOUGH?!"

"I'm _sorry_, should I be showering with clothes on!?"

"Umm, well. Yeah—!"

"—Get out—!"

"—Right! Right!" She screamed and exited red-faced. She closed the door hurriedly and rested against it. "Well, I…I wasn't wrong."

* * *

Alcie leaned against a counter in Cloud's surprisingly tidy kitchen after following him throughout the entire apartment asking him repetitive questions and nosing around his apartment. It was built for two people, definitely, and something about the items of clothing and general possessions that lay around hinted that Cloud may already have a roommate. She wasn't sure who, though. It could've been any member of SOLDIER after all. That was if he had a roommate at all.

"So, Tifa really isn't here?" The auburn-haired girl asked, scratching the back of her head.

Cloud tried not to grow irritated by the constant nagging of the eighteen-year-old, but it was proving quite difficult. "I already told you. No, she's not here."

"Then where is she?"

"She's gone down to the bar—"

"—Oh, really? She did? Why didn't she say anything? I would've helped out."

"Yeah. She thought as much. She said it was alright and wouldn't let me come down eith—" He broke off, interrupted by a banging sound from another room. "Break anything and I'll break your face, Zack!"

Zack yelled back as innocently as he could manage to pull off, "I wouldn't!"

Cloud turned back from the door and found Alcie wasn't where he'd last seen her. Now her face and arms were lost somewhere in his fridge. He looked more confused than anything else.

She laughed, even if it was muffled by the quiet humming of the fridge. "Puppy misbehaves even amongst his friends, huh?"

"You're kidding? He's worse in his own environment."

"He lives here?"

"No, I don't have a roommate, but he might as well be. He's here often enough."

The fridge-raider pulled herself out of her newfound cave with both hands full. She turned and smirked at the blonde. "So you guys are like, married without the commitment?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Apparently so. His underwear seems to have taken up permanent residence on my radiators."

Alcie almost dropped the food as her excitement poured out of her body like a quake of Titan's fury. "No way! He likes his underwear warmed too?!"

"…You were made for him, weren't you?" He said wryly in his typical nonchalance, though his lips quirked up faintly.

"No but, seriously, how can you not enjoy the warmth and comfort of a toasty strut in the mornings? I live for those highs in life!"

"I don't even know what to say to you."

She tried to stifle her cackles and snickers as she put the food back in the fridge and eventually managed to squeal out, "So, wait, you mean he _actually_ leaves his underwear here?"

"Yeah. Spare bedroom. Filled with his shit."

"What if, though, you like, accidentally take his underwear and put that on?"

Cloud watched the seemingly unstable teen climb up onto the counter and rummage through the top cupboards. "My underwear has my name in—"

"—_Really_?" She fairly guffawed, her laughs threatening to push over her balance and send her flying. "How _old _are you, man?!"

"Twenty and a half, thanks."

"Then, _whyyyyy_?"

"For exactly the reason to protect myself from putting his damn underwear on!"

"Oh, okay. You know, that's kinda clever." She snorted, pulling out packet noodles and studying the wrapper before mumbling, "Super Noodles? Bloody Super Shit..."

"You don't like them? Man, what's wrong with you?"

"No, I can't stand them."

"Why not?"

"Because I used to eat them so damn often. Packet noodles and microwave meals and that kinda stuff."

"What, that's all you ate?"

"…Pretty much, yeah." She pushed the noodles back into the cupboard and sat back down on the counter. "I couldn't cook but my brother and I had to eat. I don't know, maybe I'm just fussy, I mean, he never complained."

"You have a brother, huh?"

"Yeah. He's still…he's still back in Kalm. I should've brought him here with me, really. We always wanted to run to Midgar, even since we were kids."

"You're here now though, aren't you?"

"_I _am, yeah. But…we wanted to come here and join the infantry, you know. It's not like I'm just here for the thrill of it, this is genuinely what I've always wanted to do."

"Really? You didn't seem so excited when you got recruited."

"Well, no…I was distracted and my head was full. Now I've processed it, it's awesome, really! It's not how I thought it'd be, it's better, I think."

"You seem to fit in well, at least. You been sleeping alright?"

She raised orange eyes to meet blue, in fact, blue and green. If you looked closely enough, you could clearly see the green of the Mako ring around his pupils. He held her gaze and sensed her hesitation, sensed her shame behind the hitch of her jaw and the pursing of her lips. He waited patiently for her to answer.

"Yeah…um, well…they gave me sleeping pills…"

He folded his arms and nodded. "I know. It sucks."

"It really does, you know? I don't understand. Why would they…? I mean, do they give you sleeping pills to _help_ you through the trauma, or do they give them to you to…to _mask_ it?"

"Mask it. Doesn't masking it help? I mean, I don't think there are any quick fixes to get you over something that you find distressing."

She rolled her head from left to right, mulling over his statement. "I suppose you're right. But then why do they send men on missions that might traumatise them?"

"Well, we're all different. What might disturb you or me might not affect anyone else. And besides, you have to start somewhere. It was the same when I started. They sent me on an early mission too."

"They did?"

"Yeah. And I was petrified, to be honest. We were sent in small groups with a member of SOLDIER as guidance. We found the guys we were sent to fight and they were decapitated. Just like that."

"Oh man… Did you have to kill anyone?"

"No, I didn't. I had to watch it. Then I had to carry a head back through the town."

Her eyes widened almost undetectably. "Are you serious? How old were you?"

"Just a kid, really." He lowered his eyes briefly before looking back up at her. "Sometimes these things have to be done. I think it was probably to shock the enemy into submission, but hell, it shocked me too."

"Hardly surprising…" She shook her head in disbelief. "Isn't that a bit…wrong? That's horrific…! Wh-was that justified?"

"Yes." He didn't even hesitate. Perhaps his reply was a little too quick, even. "I wasn't sure at the time though. But anyway, that's when they decided I should be given sleeping pills then, to help me out. But I was troubled for a while. I understand how you feel."

She nodded, emotion only touching her face to stone, her expression grave and set. Was she troubled by the events of her mission, or troubled by the events of the rushed and flurried past week? Perhaps both. She wondered if Cloud _really_ understood, but decided against blubbering about the Goddess and the timidities that secretly plagued her thoughts.

"It's okay," he consoled, "we aren't all built like Zack and Rex, by the looks of it. Some people just handle things better than others, whatever. But I thought back then, that I was weaker than the rest because my superiors thought I needed aid, and I let that get to me. That's why it took me so long to A, pluck up the courage to even _try out_ for SOLDIER and B, become strong enough to do it."

"…So you're saying that I can do this and get to the Turks as long as I don't let things mess with my head…?"

"Pretty much."

"Oh…_that's_ easier said than done." She scoffed rather wryly, but of course, he wouldn't understand the irony. He didn't know that her head _was_ being messed with. Totally and completely out of her control, as it were.

Her head rang as she thought over such sardonicism.

_Get out of my head, Minerva…_

* * *

**A/N: Lalala…! Food for thought for Miss Lenna right there. We meet Mr. Cyrillys and we find another someone thinks they recognise Mr. Surrexit. What's that all about, huh? And Zack and Alcie? A **_**date**_**? Man, what's the world coming to? See you next time! **


	15. Start Of The Race

**The Bloodstone**

**A/N: I have super enjoyed writing this chapter, you know, even though I originally thought I was going to super hATE writing it. I don't know why I enjoyed writing it so much, seeing as it's not really action-y at **_**all**_** and I like me a bit of action. But no, this is quite toned down and ahhh! I'm just real happy that I've sorta figured out what I want from this and the next chapter. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter super duper, even doubly more fun than I had writing it! – Fearlessed x**

**Zanarkand-Brotherhood: **Ah, my trusty reviewer came back, even when I disappeared for two months! I send you my deepest thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I need a break from this disclaimer writing stuff. Take it away, Genny!  
**Genesis:** Fearlessed likes to _think_ she owns us…

* * *

**Chapter 15: Start Of The Race**

"So, you're telling me—"

"—No, Lenna, listen—"

"—Nah uh, _you _listen—look, don't sugar-coat this, sir," Alcie said, _glaring_ almost, and tightening her lips in a futile attempt to dull the sharpness of her tongue.

Reno pushed his fingertips into his forehead in exasperation; the girl had flames, sure, but you're not supposed to show it until—well, he didn't _know_ when, but he was sure as hell that the first meeting with one of her highest superiors was _not_ the time. He wanted to shake her shoulders and tell her to snap out of it, but he wouldn't, solely on the grounds that the man whom she was talking…_at, _had an unreadable expression, and not only was he in charge of Alcie, he was in charge of Reno, too.

"Just tell me if the Turks is an organisation who were formed to commit crimes _legally_, as it were, getting themselves involved in black ops, espionage—"

"—On the side," Tseng said coldly. It was hard to tell if he was purely being sincere or if he was planning Alcie's brutal murder. Comforting stuff.

"On the _side_? So, now you're trying to tell me that the Turks sole, _number one_ objective is just to recruit members of SOLDIER? No, _that's_ on the side."

"Miss Lenna, you're walking on thin ice. Failing to provide respect for your superior will not be treated light—"

"—Mr. Tseng, no, I'm not being—I'm not _trying_ to be disrespectful. Please. I'm being honest. This is my honest face." She waved a hand over her face while looking into his cool, seemingly jet-black eyes. She was undeterred. "I know what you guys do—"

"—You do not."

"Okay, I know, kinda _sorta_ what you do, like, I've scratched the surface. I'm willing to give my life for this, I am, but I don't want the wool pulled over my eyes. I want to know what this job entails, that's all."

A heartbeat of silence fell before the man in charge of them all responded, "I admire your energy."

She darted her glance to Reno, searching for an answer, but when he showed no emotion she was forced to answer herself. Tseng knew he'd thrown her, and waited patiently for her to speak.

"Uh…thanks?"

"Honesty is important, Miss Lenna. And now I can tell you; the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department works inside the Department of Public Safety—"

"—Under Heidegger."

"Correct. We are an intelligence agency, an investigative bureau."

"And I suppose that's where reconnaissance and espionage come in. Assassinations? Kidnappings? Doing the dirty work?"

Reno folded his arms and shifted his weight to the other foot. "That's a negative way to put it, yo."

"But not wrong." When she gained silence as a reply, she made soft a noise in the back of her throat. "Not negative. Candid."

Over the cold pause, Alcie observed both men, stood in their typical Turk business suit, with Tseng looking considerably more presentable than his underling. He stood with his feet rooted in the ground as opposed to Reno's relaxed stance, leaning against the desk. Although the difference in authority between the pair was slim, with Reno being Tseng's second-in-command, it was rather easy to see externally.

Tseng was clearly the older, but by how much was unknown to the girl. His hair was straight—almost pin-straight, even—well-kept, not unlike his demeanour, and slicked back away from his face. It fell not much past his shoulders, and perhaps if he had bangs, Alcie would be unable to see the small tilak in the centre of his forehead. Maybe he was from Wutai, but she wasn't about to ask.

When Tseng finally broke the silence, Alcie snapped her eyes back to meet his.

"Indeed it is candid," he confirmed. "But you must understand. The secrets of the Turks are the secrets of the entire ShinRa Corporation, and are to be taken to the grave. For that very reason, it takes a very specific type of person to be trusted with the job. Can you accept the responsibility? Can you stand it?"

"Yes," she said strongly.

"Encouraging to hear. I see your 'honest face' again." Alcie could've sworn she saw his lips quirk upwards, showing hints of a sense of humour that she knew not exist. "Of course, it shan't be so easy, but if you continue to prove your honesty, and trustworthiness, you shall be considered."

"Sir."

"You will be tested, trialled, and observed over the coming weeks. The process of choosing new members of the Turks is a quick one, which may surprise you."

"Over the coming _weeks_?" She repeated. "Why is it such a fast decision? Surely it takes longer than that to decide who might double-cross you, or whatever?"

"Not really. It's easy to tell who has got it in 'em. Who is right for the job," Reno told her, his voice more serious than she had heard before. "We rule out countless cadets within first meetings, and, nine times out of ten, the quarterly round-ups of fresh infantrymen contain none that we could even consider."

"…Okay," she murmured. _No…not _okay_… _"Why me?"

"There's somethin' about you."

"That we haven't seen for a while," Tseng added. "I believe last I saw it in Reno, and perhaps Elena, too."

"And what is that 'something'?" She asked, jutting her chin slightly.

"If we told you, due to demand characteristics you would become more aware, more susceptible to influence. Psychologically speaking, you would subconsciously, even, attempt to perform to a standard that you believe we want to see."

"Huh." She folded her arms across her chest. "I suppose you're right."

"And for Gaia's sake, do not for one moment think you can get one up over us. We will see everything you do and hear everything you say. We cannot trust just anyone with the secrets of ShinRa…you have been warned."

"Warned or threatened?" She asked blandly, her face tight in single-minded determination.

A dry chuckle escaped Tseng's throat. "Whichever. We are the intelligence agency, spying on you will be much simpler than spying on, say, a Wutaian warlord."

"Yeah…" She rubbed the back of her neck. How crazy was this damn corporation, anyway? "I get it, I get it. I'm not gonna _do_ anything. What kinds of things are you…looking to _not_ see?" She asked awkwardly.

The black-haired man's lips quirked up in the corner, well, they twitched, or, _something_. "Suspicious behaviour."

"Ohh, but I _reek_ of suspicious behaviour!" She whined, squealing at least three octaves higher than the average bird call.

Well, she did when anyone asked her anything about herself. Especially recently. She felt strange, odd, and _different_ from the others. Fuzzy in the head. She thought she was some kind of freak, and didn't really feel like talking about it. All it would take would be one fainting, just one, under the presence of anyone other than Tifa, and the question would rise: what's wrong with you?

And that wasn't a question she could answer.

She couldn't exactly turn around and say she was some kind of weirdo; who would ever believe her if she told people she hears voices in her head? No one. Maybe Tifa, but Tseng? Not so much. She'd be locked up in a cell being accused of having terrible things wrong with her head—well, maybe not. She had a tendency to over-dramatise things sometimes. But she knew she'd certainly be ousted from the infantry, and she'd never reach the Turks if they thought she was too unstable to cope. So she was lying. Sort of. More like…concealing herself.

Where's the harm in pretending to be normal?

The Turks only needed to know that she could get a job done.

They did not need to know about the workings of her head.

And in fact, she was beginning to think that no one needed to know, which is why upon returning home, she blurted out all of a sudden: "Tifa, I'm not telling anyone."

The pretty brunette looked up from her coffee and what was quite possibly the largest mountain of paperwork Alcie had ever seen. "It was Alcie who left this morning, but it looks like Crazy came back."

Alcie's dour expression didn't let up for even a second, and Tifa knew something was up.

Suitably, her voice softened after a pause. "What are you not telling anyone…?"

"Anyone anything. No one, anymore. And nothing to new people." Alcie's tongue was as cold as Shiva's Diamond Dust, almost cold enough to freeze the water that she poured from the kitchen sink.

"…What?" Was all the wine-eyed girl could manage. Whatever Alcie had just said, it certainly wasn't coherent, and it definitely wasn't a happy one. Her tongue turned mildly concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." She said, but her cool tone suddenly took a turn for the worse. "No? I don't know. Tifa, what've I done?!"

"Whoa, whoa, Cee, calm down," she soothed, placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "What's wrong? What happened?"

She slid her fingertips across her slashed eyebrow. "I'm too…trusting. Yeah…that's it. I can't help it, Teef, I really can't."

"Alcie, I don't understand."

"That's…that's _okay_…! I don't understand me either!"

Alcie's grin unnerved Tifa greatly. "Snap out of it!"

"Out of—?"

"—Sit down, Alcie!"

"What?"

"You are gonna sit there and you are _not_ gonna move until you tell me what the hell's going on!"

Tifa's voice was much sterner than Alcie had heard before. It seemed that Tifa had already picked up on perhaps the only way to crack into Alcie's relatively thick skull. By practically yelling at her. She didn't really like being yelled at.

After a long pause, the auburn-haired girl opened her mouth. "I told you…I'm crazy, right? Heh…and I told Zack…I had a crazy past. That's it now."

"What do you mean 'that's it'?"

"I'm done telling people things. I don't want to—"

"—You don't want to what? You don't want to face your past? You don't want to face your _present_?" She asked with that sternness that was becoming a regular thing.

"Tifa…I can face these problems on my own." She smiled again. Emptily. Creepily, if you asked Tifa. "I must've really creeped Zack out the other day. He must think I've got some real issues goin' on." She snorted. "He's not wrong."

"Are you having some kind of breakdown?"

Alcie scoffed. "I call it an epiphany."

"An epiphany to shut yourself off? Cee, you told me not even a week ago that this was your chance to blow off steam and sort yourself out for good. You can't do that by going backwards. You can't."

"I can try."

"Stop that!" She shrilled, trying to remain patient with the ever-stubborn girl. "Look…I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you. But you're not a freak, and you're not a creep. I don't know what you told Zack that night, but he asked you on a date, and that has to count for something."

"But…I told you…about this creepy Goddess thing I've got goin' on…"

"Don't say 'creepy'. I don't think that, and you shouldn't either. I don't know what's happening there, but you know you're not crazy. Aerith backed you up, did she not? She told you that what's happening to you is real."

_Aerith…I…I forgot about her…_

Her shoulders relaxed—not that she knew she had tensed them. "I should go talk to her again…"

"Right…Alcie, it's not creepy. You can't help it, either; you can only live with it. Think of it as a gift. You're like, an Ancient without the hardships." She smiled sweetly, trying to lift Alcie's spirits in that sisterly way she did.

Alcie tried a smile. She looked up from previously hooded eyes. "A gift or a curse?"

"A gift. Curse is so _negative_, anyway." She smiled and rubbed Alcie's shoulder gently. "You want me to call the ultimate source of positivity to cheer you up?"

Alcie rolled her eyes but humoured the older girl anyway. "And who might that be?"

"Well, a hug from a certain Puppy could go a long way for you right now." She grinned widely.

"Oh, Goddess, no, Tifa, no!" She cracked out a pallid laugh. "I'd rather just kinda, cry and eat ice cream all night. Can we arrange that instead?"

"Why would you _want_ to cry? I thought you said you—"

"—Oh man, don't even go there. I talk through my ass sometimes…I'll get there eventually."

"Well, wherever 'there' is, I hope you get there soon."

"…Mm. Me too." She mumbled to herself. "I'm getting tired of my own bullshit."

* * *

Days and nights seemingly flicked by and sleep was scarce. Not just for Alcie, either, but for Zack and Cloud too. Although, Zack and Cloud were kept awake for similar reasons. Girls. Tch. Neither one of them understood why they were missing out on sleep, but as you can imagine, neither mentioned their tiredness. Wouldn't want to seem _weak_ or anything, no.

Admitting to yourself that infatuation has crawled into your head isn't a sign of weakness unless you allow it to be, but maybe they didn't understand that. Well, they definitely didn't. Cloud became irritated with himself that he couldn't shift a certain martial artist from his brain; it was such a stupid thing to lose sleep over! Or so he thought.

All the while, Alcie would spend the hours laying wide awake in bed, staring at the ceiling until she started seeing shapes that weren't really there, her mind racing and whizzing and stirring. Pleasant daydreams would take nasty turns—she'd remember something she said or did anytime from the day before to years ago, and the pit of regret in her stomach would whirr. It grew and grew, night by night and day by day, until…well, it still grows.

The more she would try to forget, the harder it became. Almost like her brain was forcing her to cling onto fragments of memories; they may be negative or upsetting, disturbing or guilt-ridden, but those memories were important in some way or another. The events shaped who she was, the good, and the bad.

But really, she wanted to slow everything down, preferably to a snail's pace; that would be great. She thought things were moving too fast for her, even though fast-paced was usually her middle name. She could feel her head growing cloudier every day, troubles polluting her thoughts with an impenetrable fog. But things would settle down eventually. They would.

Right?

And Zack, well, Zack would rub his face and ask himself what he was getting worked up over. A smile, a laugh, and a kiss? Surely not. But those three things, alongside a long list of other mannerisms and sounds a certain girl made, really, _really_ dominated his thoughts. As if he didn't have enough on his mind before? What with the new recruits in now, he had more responsibility than ever, as this was one of the first batches of fresh cadets he held under his wing. Oh, _and one of them happened to be his new girlfriend. _

He had a few things to mull over.

But mulling things over in your best friend's apartment while he jabbers on to two other loudmouths currently "working together" in a co-operative video game, loudly shrieking various profanities in every which-way proved to be quite difficult.

"You are the _biggest dick_ I have ever met in my entire life," Matt growled at a cheering Rex, whose cheers screed his victory.

"I know I do." A grin spread across his face.

"What? No, _dude_, why do you gotta be so damn perverted? I said 'ARE' not 'HAVE'!"

The nineteen-year-old faked vexation. "I'm not a _dick_. You could've been so much more creative—I am many things."

"Yeah. 'Dick' will suffice."

"Hey!" Rex crowed between snickers. "If you're gonna be rude, I won't play this game with you!"

"Rex, you asked _me_ to play. Play it yourself!"

"But it's not fun by myself!"

"But I'm a level two! If you wanna play this, will you at least _try_ to not abandon me and get me killed every two seconds?"

"Ah. You respawn. What're you complaining about?"

Cloud snickered. "Are you guys always at each other's throats like this?"

"I'm not at his throat, he's at mine!" Rex sputtered, scraping for his innocence in a crime he didn't commit. For once.

"You asked for it…bitch."

Rex started laughing and flung out an arm to whack Matthew on the back of his head with his console controller.

"See? What the hell was that for?!"

"Oh my _Goddess_," Cloud despaired. "You guys are the worst."

"Why, thank you," they said in unison, identical grins flashing at the blonde. And again, at the same time, they turned back to face the screen, mindlessly shooting down skull-faced troops.

Cloud watched calmly and smirked before pointing at the screen as Rex's character died. "There's one behind you, Rex."

"And you decided to tell me _after_ I died?"

"Yeah, it seemed like more fun."

"Whatever, man. I'm outta here," Matt said, referring to the game. In the corner of his eye, Rex caught his attention. "Dude, what the freaking _hell_ are you doing?"

Rex had slid his hand under a plate with a slice of pizza on, before promptly pushing the plate _and_ pizza into his face. Zack fairly guffawed as he took a picture of the scene on his PHS. Rex attempted an explanation. "Well, if I touch it, my fingers'll get greasy an' that'll make my controller greasy."

"Yeah, but now look at your goddamn face, buttflakes."

"Sexy, right?" The dirty-blonde grinned massively.

"You've got a face like a smacked ass."

"What?!" The hazel-eyed yelled in mock disbelief. "Whatever, you're just jealous 'cus I get all the hot chicks."

"Oh really?" Matt replied coolly. "Then please, proceed to tell us where these hot chicks are."

"Uhhh…"

"Oh, that's right. There aren't any."

"Well, there would be if Zack wasn't around!" He accused. "Why do you get the hot chicks?!"

"'Cus I got there first." The twenty-two-year-old's grin reeked of pride and cocksure.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see."

Zack laughed outright. "'We'll see?' Whaddaya mean 'we'll see?' It's set in stone for now, man."

"How can you set something in stone _for now_?" Cloud mocked.

"You just can, alright?"

"So, she's not _set in stone,_ at all, you've just _pencilled her in_?" The bright-blonde laughed, picking holes in Zack's use of words. "I don't think she'll be too pleased with that, you know."

"Exactly! So she's still…up for grabs!" Rex cheered.

Matt rolled his eyes. "Classy way of putting it."

"Well, she's single until she goes on a date, so…!"

"So, unfortunately for you, yeah, she's taken." Zack smirked and folded strong arms over his chest.

"Wha—at?"

"Got a date. Tonight. Sorry, man, you were just too slow." Pride is such a bad thing but just feels so good.

"Zack Fair is _off_ the market?" Rex fairly sputtered.

"Why?" Matt scoffed. Whenever he could knock Rex down with a sardonic remark, you can bet he would. Typical lads. "Were you looking to buy?"

Surrexit glared at the younger boy fiercely. "Nah, man, I'm just sayin'."

"Yeah. It's not like Zack's reputation is the cleanest," Cloud added.

"Hey, now! I'm not that bad!"

"If you cheat on her, she will actually tear your guts out."

Matt laughed. "And the rest. You won't be recognisable."

"He-hey, wait! We haven't even been on a single date yet and you're betting I'm gonna cheat on her? No! I'm not _that_ bad!"

"Whatever, man." Rex said surprisingly coolly. "Just leave her in good condition so I can have her afterwards."

Zack shot a glare that was as close to being serious as he was going to get while amongst friends. "I'm gonna go call her."

There's that typical protectiveness that some males tend to show; even this early on. It's all fun and games until the girl in question is objectified. Then it's no longer so funny. Of course, being boys, they weren't being serious, and neither were they hiding secret insults under a 'joke'. They were just winding each other up and shooting each other down, and no grudges were forming.

If anything, they were just bonding.

The nineteen-year-old cadet was able to laugh it off, anyhow. "Come on, man, we're picking on you, not her!"

Cloud chortled. "We're jus' winding you up."

"Huh? Oh, I know. I'm still gonna call her." He grinned and flicked through his contacts before selecting her. "Now actually, literally, shut up or I will murder you all in your sleep."

"Why get so touchy, man?"

"Hey, Cee." A smile spread across his face. Her voice. "Yeah…no. Not really. Anyway, tonight then. I'll come get ya at five, that okay for you? Mmm…what should you wear?"

"LINGERIE!"

"Oh my f—you just couldn't help yourself could you?!" He flung a cushion to hit Rex square in the nose. "Yeah, it was Rex, of course it was Rex." He laughed at something she said and smirked. "That's very true. No, I promise I won't tell him—"

"—H-hey!"

"So, yeah, wear whatever you're comfortable in, 'cus I don't know where we'll land up!"

Cloud muttered under his breath. "In her bed or in her pants, probably."

Surrexit laughed wildly. All these boys did was corrupt each other.

"…Alright then, Cee. Later!" He hung up before beating Cloud with another deadly weapon (cushion), causing him to fall right off the back of the sofa.

"ACK!" He splatted on the floor. "What was that for?!"

"I'm not gonna end up in her pants!"

* * *

**Later that day…**

"I'm telling you, it's a common misconception!" Alcie called from the bathroom, squealing to pitches of unknown heights in her effort to defend herself.

"And how are misconceptions misconceived in the first place?" Tifa snorted. Seriously, even her snort was graceful. A soft blow through the nose. Whenever Alcie snorted, she sounded like she couldn't breathe. Then there were those unfortunate times when her tongue would obscure her breathing and she'd sound more like the grunt of a farm animal.

Grace is one of those things you have or you don't, or so Alcie thought, and the more you force it, the less graceful you become. She had a date tonight, and forcing grace would stiffen her, and 'awkward things up'. Yeah, she had already had this conversation with Tifa previously, and the older girl tried to settle the auburn-haired, coaxing her to 'act-natural'. Sure. That's easy.

"Misconceptions are misconceived when…wait, conceptions are misconceived whe—misconceptions are conceived…I can't make sense of this."

Tifa bit back her desire to snicker and slowly shook her head instead. "Misconceptions of you? They come from bad first impressions."

"Bad first impressions? What're you talking about? I leave a fantastic first impression!"

"If fantastic is frightening, sure."

"Who did I frighten? Cloud?" She took Tifa's laughing from outside the bathroom door as a signal that, yeah. Cloud. "Naww, me and Cloud, we're like, _tight_!"

"Never say that again. You've been hanging around with Rex far too much for your own safety."

"I _know_," she laughed, her glee amplified by the acoustics of the bathroom. "But there's no reason for Spiky to think I'm an angry person after our first meeting!"

"Alcie, you started screaming and yelling because they said—"

"—_Oh_, I know what they said. No need to repeat."

"Well, yeah. They said that _thing_ you apparently don't like and you almost hit the roof! Then there was the pizza thing."

"No, but, that was like, the third time I met him. I said my _first _impressions were fabulous, not my second and third." She broke into a cackle, staring herself down in the mirror. "They go to shit."

"You get bored of holding up and act, huh?"

"Oh, _definitely_."

"Look, Cee, I'm coming in. I need my straighteners—you're not the only one with things to do tonight!" She grinned, and cracked open the door.

"Whatever, Tifa. Your hair is straight as dicks. You don't need to straighten it!"

"Seriously, you have to stop talking to Surrexit," she scoffed, ignoring the complimentary statement claiming she needn't straighten her hair. That, and she was stopped short after noticing her roommate was simply stood in her underwear, leaning over the sink, studying her face. Several questions popped to the forefront of her mind.

Each wondering battled it out until a victor was settled. Tifa's eyebrow arched as she looked Alcie up and down. "Matching underwear?"

The red-eyed girl's lips curled into a smirk. Ah. The universal code amongst girls; if you can be bothered to match your underwear, you're expecting them to be seen. Of course, that wasn't _exactly_ why Alcie matched her underwear, but Tifa had a good time in prying.

"Oh, mind out of the gutter," she chided good-naturedly. "What if I accidentally got smashed and just, _tore_ my clothes off? What then? If I'm going to publicly embarrass myself, I'm going to do it the right way."

"There's a _right_ way to publicly embarrass yourself?"

Alcie seemed to ignore her comment. "Hell, I even shaved my legs for this, Tifa—full leg. Not lazy half."

"Full leg?" She repeated and laughed. "You must be serious about this. So, question."

"Shoot."

"Why are you putting your make-up on half-naked?"

"Because I always end up dropping a mascara brush on my shirt or something. Even worse, like, liquid liner, or something."

"You're taking precaution for your clumsiness? Geez, Cee, you must be stressed," she jabbed, only half-joking.

"I _am_, oh, Minerva—ah, _don't take that as a summoning, you_!" Alcie ordered sternly, staring up to the ceiling. "I know we haven't talked much lately, but that was _not an invitation_! Not tonight!"

For a moment, Tifa thought that her roommate might be showing signs of early schizophrenia, and was really quite concerned, but after the realisation sank in that she was in fact calling out to a higher power…it still didn't sound sane, if a little easier to understand.

Alcie settled her heels to the ground, after realising she was tensed up on tiptoes, and sighed out her frustrations into the mirror before licking a small dart of eyeliner across her upper lashes.

"Ahhh," Tifa sighed, dramatically. Grinning. "Making yourself pretty for your boyfriend, huh?"

"Pretty…" She smiled to herself. "He called me pretty, you know."

Tifa suppressed the urge to squeal in delight. "And I suppose you sank into a pool of goo?"

"Oh yeah. Big time. And I'm gonna do it again, I know it. Like, he won't even have to say anything, I'll just gooify upon being looked at."

"You don't have to be nervous. It's not like you've never met him before; you know how easy-going he is."

"Yeah, but, Teef, I'm so freaked out."

"Why? It's no different than the other times you've met him."

"Yeah, it is! We'll be by ourselves for the entire time and, like, this time we're not thrown together, it's been planned, we're meeting up specifically to date, like, he's gonna be measuring me up and checking I'm a cool person and like, testing me for creepitude—and I have a lot of creepitude, Tifa!"

"It's a _date_, Cee! He's not gonna cross-section you and rip apart your personality; he's a _guy_. He just wants to hang out with you, get to know you. Be yourself, just enjoy it for what it is."

The eighteen-year-old sighed heavily and studied her reflection. "Not too overdone?"

"Not at all." Tifa gave her best reassuring smile. "You could probably get away with more, actually."

"In that case, I'll leave it as it is—just to be sure." She patted her cheeks lightly and nodded, silently confirming her decision.

"Figured out what you're wearing? Assuming you're not going like that, that is." Tifa snorted.

"That's opening an entirely new can of worms."

"Why are you so worried? He's seen you on almost every end of the scale. There was your sexy skirt and blouse get up from the bar, then like, the very next time he saw you, you were wearing your combat pants and a plain, black tee—"

"—They were both rather tight, might I add—"

"—Then what? The shorts and an oversized sweater? Other than that he's only seen you in a uniform. So, more often than not, he's seen you looking pretty stiff and sweaty."

"You're right. I'll wear something not stiff and I won't get sweaty." She snorted and joked, "That might be difficult."

She crept out of the bathroom, eyeing for potential intruders that might've entered unawares. Once declaring it safe, she darted from the bathroom to her bedroom and changed swiftly, pulling on something that surprised Tifa endlessly.

"What?" Alcie asked, her fingertips grazing the hem of a salmon-coloured skater dress. The neck was modest, sitting not much below her collarbones. Perfect, really, for a first date, seeing as it was neither too short, nor low-cut, but quite the happy medium. She had had to beat up a bunch of monsters in Sector Seven with Tifa in order to be able to afford it, as she hadn't had her first pay check from ShinRa yet. Her shoes were flat, and _comfortable_, and while she'd rather have put on some even comfier sneakers, she figured she'd look pretty stupid. And Tifa would have told her off, anyway.

"You make a fuss about putting on a skirt for me, but for Zack?" Her lips quirked upwards. "You don't think twice."

"You told me not to wear something stiff! There's nothing less stiff than the skirt on this dress!"

"Oooh, don't get all defensive," Tifa teased. "You look fine, now all you gotta do is wait!"

"That's the worst part…!" She perched on the edge of the couch and folded her hands inside each other, nervously, and repeatedly running one through her hair every now and again.

"He said he'd be here at five?" She looked at the clock. Four fifty-eight. "Give him twenty minutes. I don't think that boy's ever been on time for anything."

"You would've thought the military would've snapped him out of that. Or beaten it out of him."

"Yeah," the older girl laughed. "That said, I really don't think his work ethic is that ba—"

She was interrupted by a knock at the door. She glanced at Alcie and smirked whitely; he was never on time, but of course he was for something as important as _this_.

_And the five second prep talk starts_…_now_.

"You're gonna be fine, alright?" Tifa's voice picked up the pace and lost the volume as Alcie neared the door. "Enjoy yourself. Kick back. Hell, you deserve it after the week you've had. It won't be awkward unless you let awkward grab you and…"

Alcie placed one hand against the door and the other on her hip, feigning impatience.

"And…have as much fun as you can." She grinned excitedly and gave her friend the thumbs up.

Alcie nodded, smiling, and let out a shakier breath than she had intended before opening the door.

Her plan was to open the door with a falsified smile to hide her nervousness and say hello, but of course, upon looking at him, that all went to pot.

Instead, she opened the door and looked up at him, and realised she didn't have to pretend to smile at all.

"Hey." He grinned at her eagerly, looking just about ready to bounce up and down in excitement.

Tifa noted Alcie's silence and figured her insides must've 'gooified' as she had stated earlier and came to her rescue, while Alcie silently ogled over the member of SOLDIER.

_What is with my hormones today?_ She thought as she eyed him as discretely as she could. _Geez, I'm dating this…I'm dating _this_! HaHAA!_

"Are you ready to go?" She blurted out, grinning.

"You betcha!"

Tifa shook her head and smiled knowingly as Alcie excitedly snatched up his hand and allowed him to half-lead and half-steal her away.

Alcie giggled as she trotted to keep up with the excitable puppy and called back in afterthought, "Later, Teef!"

He grinned and added, "Much later!"

* * *

**A/N: Ahhhh! They're going on a daaaaate! And I was exactly two weeks like I promised on my profile, yaaaaay! It was 4:51am when I finished this chapter, and I should've been sleeping but I was too excitable! No, seriously, I am **_**too**_** excited for the coming chapters, oh my goodness, I'm hyperventilating. I hope I'm doing this kinda thing right; feedback would be much **_**much**_** appreciated. Love you guys! – Fearlessed x**


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